At the Unemployment Office (continued from page 9) -

she decided to go back into the work force, and looked for a job. She discovered her education was outmoded; like most scientific and technical fields, chemistry had taken a quantum leap since the 1940's. She had no marketable skills. A 51-year-old woman with no job experience or skills is not a hot ticket on the job market, even in the best of times.

Jane has found work only intermittently. For the past several years, she worked part-time for a small real estate office. In October, the office closed its doors for good.

Jane is eligible for six more weeks of unemployment compensation. Then her money runs out. She will receive no pension. Because she owns her home, she doesn't have to pay rent. However, she does have to pay taxes and utilities, as well as food and clothing expenses. Also, as a homeowner, she is ineligible for welfare or food stamps. She has not put in the requisite amount of time, 33 quarters, or 8 years, to receive social security in her own right. Her husband's social security will apply for Jane; at age 62, she can file for 33 percent of the standard payment. At age 65, she'll be eligible for half.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," Jane says. "I literally have no idea. I can't sell my house. No buyers:" She laughs. "Believe me, I know about the real estate market. If the real estate market were any good, I wouldn't be in this position. I'd have a job and I wouldn't have to sell my house."

Jane pats her gray hair. "Taxes, utilities, everything's going up. Right now, I'm just getting by. Without this," she shrugs, "I just don't know how I can make ends meet. I used to read about people who had to choose between heating and eating. I never thought that would be me."

Older, divorced women are among those most victimized by the current recession. Often they lack the years of job experience and the job skills needed to compete in today's ever-tightening job market. That same lack of time spent in the job market makes them ineligible for pensions or full social security payments. If they were lucky enough to receive property in their divorce settlements, that same property prohibits them from receiving welfare or food stamp benefits.

They're the women who played according to the rules, who married young and devoted themselves to taking care of the house and raising their children. They find themselves in a world that has no use for them and they feel useless, old before their time and poor with no conception of how to deal with poverty.

The woman finally calls my name, among others. I'm ushered back to another waiting area until my name is called again. My papers are checked; everything is in order. My severance pay is allocated over four weeks, so I should start receiving benefits four weeks from my termination date. The process takes only a few minutes. It's painless and the

woman who helps me is surprisingly pleasant. I'm to report back in two weeks.

I walk out to my car, climb in and start the engine. I turn on the radio and listen to the news of the day. President Reagan vows that he'll continue to stay the course, a variation on the theme that prosperity's just around the corner. A White House spokesman indicates that the administration expects unemploy: ment to stay around ten percent in the year ahead. The Democrats promise jobs legislation. The President states he'll sign no such bill.

It's been a record-breaking day on Wall Street. The Dow-Jones average hits a new high.

Support Groups (continued from page 9)

plans to hold a third if enough people show an interest. While people can join the network without attending a group meeting, Granger feels that the larger group fosters the best results. It makes clear to everyone the sort of commitment to informationsharing required. It enables people with similar interests to form support groups. Finally, it allows unemployed people to meet one another face-to-face, decreasing their sense of isolation and increasing the sense of commitment to fellow group members. "There's a stronger commitment when you've already met and seen these people," Granger sums up. "And they understand that when they sign up for the network, they're committing to help me-and everyone else who's a member."

For more information on this group, contact Bertha Granger at 228-6758.

Another unemployment support group is being formed at Notre Dame College for Women. Still in the planning stages, the program is aimed at helping people deal effectively with the grief of losing a job, and with enabling them to develop their self-worth and self-knowledge in order to search more effectively for a new job. Open to the general public, the program will probably start off with a one-day workshop and develop according to the needs and desires of the participants, said Nancy Segal, who's coordinating the project. To find out more about the Notre Dame program, call Nancy Segal at 381-1680.

The Hillcrest and Southeast "Y's" are sponsoring support groups for the unemployed. Under the auspices of Jane Russell, the groups will focus on job networking and on developing peer support among the out-of-work. Contact Jane Russell at the Hillcrest "Y".

Finally, a support group for women only is in the works. Contact Kathy Green, 371-9680, for more information.

By calling any or all of the people coordinating the groups listed above, you can get a feeling for what each support group is offering, and choose the one that fits your needs and your schedule best.

Phoenix Theatre Ensemble Presents the Midwest Premiere of

The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs

·By Simone Benmussa

Directed by Carol Weiss Fulton

A funny, tragic story of a 19th Century Dublin woman who for economic reasons lives as a man, and her efforts

to combat her loneliness. A play of particular interest to women, with very contemporary applications, and an all-woman cast.

January 28 through March 18

Call 371-7766 for reservátions

8:00 Thurs., Fri., Sat., 2:30 Sun.-The Civic, 3130 Mayfield Road

$1.00 off ticket price with this ad.