"My mother-in-law, who was a wonderful woman, used to say she quit teaching when she got pregnant - she made it sound like it was her choice. When Elizabeth Warren was running for president back in 2016, she said she was fired from her teaching job because she got pregnant. I put two and two together and asked my mother-in-law if that was what happened to her, too. Without missing a beat, she said, 'Oh, yes.'"
"My grandmother got a divorce in the late 1930s because her husband beat her and choked her until she passed out. She kept it a secret until one day, while walking through a cemetery to visit my great-grandmother's grave, she came across his tombstone. She stopped for a second, then, on the way back, said, 'I hope you're burning in hell.'"
Across generations, women faced systemic and personal injustices that constrained their choices and lives. Many lost jobs or left careers because of pregnancy or societal expectations, sometimes disguised as voluntary decisions. Some endured domestic violence, divorces kept secret, and the fear of social stigma. Forced marriages, denial of education, and limited legal protections amplified vulnerability and isolation. Families often concealed these histories, passing them down quietly as warnings and memories. Despite trauma and loss, many women displayed resilience, creating new lives under difficult circumstances while carrying the emotional weight of what they endured.
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