The New York Times recently published a piece titled, “The Overlooked History of Women at Work,” which was about an exhibition in NYC that explored 500 years of women as scientists, midwives, writers, activists and more. The memorabilia was presented to show viewers that women have had a long history with a breadth of vocations.
“Women have been working people, always.” Lisa Unger, the collection’s founder, explained. “Women’s work,” did not always entail domestic chores as many might assume about women born before the 21st century.
PROPEL’s mission is to inspire women to generate a second household income while doing what they love and while keeping the community traditions of being devoted mothers and wives.
Many people are under the impression that women were always housewives and homemakers. But, if anything, Syrian women have shown the community, and the world at large, that we’ve always held more than just traditional roles. Our very own iconic matriarchs worked in real estate, retail, and catering. When people think back to the 19th century, they conjure a visual image of Syrian women kneading challah or frying kibbeh. But we have our own overlooked history of women at work who were monetizing their passions long before women were selling goods and services on Instagram or breaking into innovative industries.
March was Women’s History Month, in honor of this occasion, we celebrated women from our past who’ve set the stage for generations of working women to come.
When Bonnie Azoulay, the grandmother of one of our marketing coordinators, immigrated from Israel to America by herself in the 1960s, at 16-years-old, she went to NYU for a year to study architecture. Although she didn’t graduate, she took her skills and flair for design to decorate her own home and her children’s. Because she had to support herself before she was married, she worked at a Syrian owned jewelry store in midtown and moved into a small apartment on Kings Highway.
Similarly, many Syrian women are commended for their impeccable taste. Whether it be fashion, food, or design, we pride ourselves on being the ultimate taste-makers. We’ve even used these skills to our advantage and turned them into businesses—businesses that we couldn’t do without. Because our community is always celebrating happy occasions, women have become invitation designers, makeup artists and kosher restaurant owners. They chose fields that there is a great demand for and they are happy to supply their serices. After all, necessity is the mother of invention.
In celebration of all working women in the community, the PROPEL board of directors has decided to promote women who sell goods and services or have a profession by creating the PROPEL List—a print and digital directory that will showcase businesses owned by women, professions, and careers. This user-friendly marketplace will allow women to grow their clientele and network free of charge. You can sign up at http://bit.ly/PROPEL-List.
If you are interested in a career, please reach out to PROPEL; we can help you fulfill your professional goal. Call us at 646-494-0822 or email info@thepropelnetwork.org.
Follow us on Instagram @PropelNetwork to find out information about upcoming events.
