The Ovary Tower
I had lunch with a friend who always makes me laugh, and today was no exception. Thank goodness, because I think we both needed it, and laughter can be such therapy. So there we were, two women verging on mid-life, discussing what to do with the rest of our lives, and whether or not the "third sector" was all it is cracked up to be. That's the non-profit sector.
There is a building here in Calgary that a local foundation bought, renovated and rented out at a reasonable rate to other local non-profits. And since many of the workers in said tower are women, they have taken to calling it the Ovary Tower. Well, I just about laughed my pants off! And then when we discovered that I was actually straddling the Ovary and the Ivory Towers in my career, well, let's just say the waitress was on her way over to see if we were going to be ok or if we needed 911 assistance.
I think the Ovary Tower is a wonderful metaphor for the non-profit sector. The vast majority of the employees and volunteers are female, and when you get that many women in one place, hormones are bound to fly. I wonder if there are other such buildings around the country, and if anyone has studied the phenomenom. Probably not. But if could get some Ovary/Ivory tower funding, it might just make a damn good research project!
I had lunch with a friend who always makes me laugh, and today was no exception. Thank goodness, because I think we both needed it, and laughter can be such therapy. So there we were, two women verging on mid-life, discussing what to do with the rest of our lives, and whether or not the "third sector" was all it is cracked up to be. That's the non-profit sector.
There is a building here in Calgary that a local foundation bought, renovated and rented out at a reasonable rate to other local non-profits. And since many of the workers in said tower are women, they have taken to calling it the Ovary Tower. Well, I just about laughed my pants off! And then when we discovered that I was actually straddling the Ovary and the Ivory Towers in my career, well, let's just say the waitress was on her way over to see if we were going to be ok or if we needed 911 assistance.
I think the Ovary Tower is a wonderful metaphor for the non-profit sector. The vast majority of the employees and volunteers are female, and when you get that many women in one place, hormones are bound to fly. I wonder if there are other such buildings around the country, and if anyone has studied the phenomenom. Probably not. But if could get some Ovary/Ivory tower funding, it might just make a damn good research project!
Comments
I agree with you about the laughter. As I write this precise post (note time, correlate to my blog), I could do with some soul uplifting laughter about now... Ah well... I'm sure there is some in my future at some point.
As usual, love your posts, Bast.