I'm Gonna Be an Engineer
Peggy Seeger Lyrics

When I was a little girl I wished I was a boy
She prefers the aspects of being a boy than being a girl.

I tagged along behind the gang and wore my corduroys.
She enjoyed male activities and preferred male clothes.

Everybody said I only did it to annoy
People believed her behavior was aimed to get attention.

But I was gonna be an engineer
Her ambition was to become an engineer, despite people's opinion.

Mamma said, "Why can't you be a lady?
Her mother tells her to conform to female gender roles.

Your duty is to make me the mother of a pearl
Her mother expected her to get married and have children.

Wait until you're older, dear
Her mother expects her to eventually change her mind.

And maybe you'll be glad that you're a girl.
Her mother hopes that she will eventually appreciate being a girl.

Dainty as a Dresden statue, gentle as a Jersey cow,
She should embody traditional feminine characteristics.

Smooth as silk, gives cream and milk
Women should be either nurturing or beneficial.

Learn to coo, learn to moo
Women should learn to be nurturing and domesticated.

That's what you do to be a lady, now.
This is the norm for women at the time.

When I went to school I learned to write and how to read
She went to school to acquire basic skills in reading and writing.

History, geography and home economy
She learned more about home economics and traditional female pursuits.

And typing is a skill that every girl is sure to need
Typing is seen as a mandatory skill for women to have.

To while away the extra time until the time to breed
Typing is a good way to pass the time until the woman is ready to have children.

And then they had the nerve to ask, what would I like to be?
Despite being taught female roles mainly, she was asked about her ambitions.

I says, "I'm gonna be an engineer!"
She stands by her determination to become an engineer.

"No, you only need to learn to be a lady
She is advised to give up her career aspirations and focus on being traditional.

An engineer could never have a baby
Her mother believes that an engineer's career and motherhood cannot coincide.

Remember, dear, that you're a girl"
Her mother reminds her of her gender norms.

She's smart --- for a woman.
Her intelligence is seen to be impressive only because she is a woman.

I wonder how she got that way?
People are surprised or sarcastic about her being smart.

You get no choice, you get no voice
Women have no right to choose or speak up.

Just stay mum, pretend you're dumb.
Women are advised to remain quiet and appear unintelligent to avoid backlash.

That's how you come to be a lady, today.
This is how women are supposed to be in modern times.

Well, I started as a typist but I studied on the sly
She secretly studied to get a degree in engineering.

Working out the day and night so I could qualify
She worked hard to gain the skills necessary to become an engineer.

And every time the boss came in, he pinched me on the thigh
The boss sexually harasses her at work.

Said, "I've never had an engineer!"
The boss acknowledges that there are few women engineers.

"You owe it to the job to be a lady
She is admonished for not following traditional gender roles.

The duty of the staff is to give the boss a whirl
It is implied that women are expected to date their male superiors.

The wages that you get are crummy, maybe
Despite sexual harassment and unfair pay, she must still remain dutiful.

But it's all you get, 'cause you're a girl"
She is paid unfairly because she is a woman.

Then Jimmy came along and we set up a conjugation
She and her partner Jimmy started a relationship.

We were busy every night with loving recreation
They were intimate almost every night.

I spent my days at work so he could get an education
She worked to support her partner's education.

And now he's an engineer!
Jimmy has become an engineer just like she wanted.

He said: "I know you'll always be a lady
Jimmy expects her to still follow traditional female roles.

The duty of my darling is to love me all her life
Her duty is to be loyal and committed to their relationship.

Could an engineer look after or obey me?
Jimmy doubts whether an engineer can fulfill traditional gender expectations.

Remember, dear, that you're my wife!"
He reminds her of her marital duty and role.

As soon a Jimmy got a job, I studied hard again
Once her partner had a stable job, she started to focus on her career again.

Then busy at me turret-lathe a year or two, and then
She works diligently as an engineer for a time.

The morning that the twins were born, Jimmy says to them
Jimmy tells their newborn twins about their mother's career.

"Your mother was an engineer!"
He is proud of her career and tells their children about it.

"You owe it to the kids to be a lady
She is told to be a traditional mother for the sake of her children.

Dainty as a dish-rag, faithful as a chow
She is expected to uphold traditional feminine roles in every way possible.

Stay at home, you got to mind the baby
She is expected to stay at home full-time to take care of the children.

Remember you're a mother now!"
Her role as a mother now supersedes her as a professional or person.

Every time I turn around there's something else to do
Every moment of her life is filled with domestic duties and chores.

Cook a meal or mend a sock or sweep a floor or two
She is expected to fulfill every aspect of household chores.

Listening to Jimmy Young - it makes me want to spew
Listening to traditional gender roles and marriage ideals disgusts her.

I was gonna be an engineer.
Her desire to become an engineer never left her.

I only wish that I could be a lady
She wishes she could conform to the traditional idea of femininity.

I'd do the lovely things that a lady's s'posed to do
She would like to fulfill the traditional feminine roles and activities.

I wouldn't even mind if only they would pay me
She wants to be paid fairly for both traditional household and career duties.

Then I could be a person too.
She wants to have a career and be valued as a person beyond traditional gender roles.

What price for a woman?
She questions how women are valued in society.

You can buy her for a ring of gold,
Women are sometimes seen and valued solely for their marriageability.

To love and obey, without any pay,
Women are expected to fulfill the role of wife without compensation or gratitude.

You get a cook and a nurse for better or worse
Women are seen as household servants before anything else.

You don't need a purse when a lady is sold.
When women fulfill traditional gender roles, they don't need money or financial independence.

Oh, but now the times are harder and me Jimmy's got the sack;
Her husband has lost his job and they are struggling financially.

I went down to Vicker's, they were glad o have me back.
She returns to work as an engineer.

But I'm a third-class citizen, my wages tell me that
Despite returning to work, she is still paid less and seen as less important because of her gender.

But I'm a first-class engineer!
She is proud to be an engineer, despite the discrimination against her gender.

The boss he says "We pay you as a lady,
Her pay is unfair due to her gender.

You only got the job because I can't afford a man,
Her employer acknowledges that her gender is the reason she was hired.

With you I keep the profits high as may be,
Her employer values her work as an engineer, but still devalues her because of her gender.

You're just a cheaper pair of hands."
She is reduced to a pair of hands, seen only for her labor and not her worth as a human being.

You got one fault, you're a woman;
Her only fault, in her employer's eyes, is her gender.

You're not worth the equal pay.
She is viewed as less valuable, even though she is doing the same work as men.

A bitch or a tart, you're nothing but heart,
She is belittled, demeaned, and insulted in a sexist manner.

Shallow and vain, you've got no brain,
She is seen as being intellectually inferior because of her gender.

Well, I listened to my mother and I joined a typing pool
She initially gave in to societal norms and worked in a typing pool.

Listened to my lover and I put him through his school
She allowed her partner to pursue his education and career aspirations.

If I listen to the boss, I'm just a bloody fool
She refuses to listen to her employer's sexist rhetoric.

And an underpaid engineer
She is an underpaid, but brilliant engineer who won't give up her ambitions.

I been a sucker ever since I was a baby
She feels that she has been conditioned to comply to traditional gender expectations.

As a daughter, as a mother, as a lover, as a dear
She feels that she has been expected to fulfill traditional gender roles in every aspect of her life.

But I'll fight them as a woman, not a lady
She is determined to fight against gender norms and expectations, and be a woman who defies them.

I'll fight them as an engineer!
She will be the best engineer and show that women can achieve great things in STEM fields.