031874 hs 'Be anything you want to be"

By ELAINE BISSELL

"You can't be a father, and you can't be a grandfather but you can be anything else
you want to be," Elizabeth Lucas Stephens of Pelham has told her two daughters.

And nine-year old Cindy and seven-year-old Linda believe it.

For their pretty young mother is a systems-sales engineer specializing in telecommunications, which even in this day of academic and career enlightenment for women is quite unusual.

ACCORDING to Ellis Rubinstein, associate editor of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., a fraction more than one per cent of all engineers were women in 1972, and during the first half of 1973 "the percent. age may have risen to as much as 1.5 per cent

But, as strongly committed as Elizabeth Stephens is to the feminist movement she is chairperson of the Education Task Force of the Professional Women's Caucus of Westchester and 2nd vice president of the Southern Westchester NOW, she has still taken nine years off from her career to raise her children.

"And when I go back to work I'll want someone here full-time watching after them,she said.

BUT MS. STEPHENS is gradually easing her way back into the professional main. stream that flows past outside of the home.

"My priorities have changed. At first, it was just mother and homemaker. But now I'm getting into career guidance for students, through lecturing. This all came about when I was looking for books for my daughters,"

Last year alone, for instance, she spoke on "Women In Engineering" at the Ursuline School, participated in an engineering conference entitled "Career Guidance,, at Now England College, was on the executive planning committee for "Today's Women moving Into Careers" at Iona College, and compiled and coauthored a non-sexist book list entitled "What Can They Be? Girls Can Be Anything, Boys Can Be Anything."

She ALSO coordinated a program "Female-Male Stereotyping in education" at the college of New Rochelle, spoke at the Focus On Women" conference at Marymount College, and at Public School 36 In the Bronx on "Working In Today's World." And this is all just scratching the surface.

The Stephens family came to the United States in 19T1. "My husband had gone with Canadian Celanese in 1967, so now he's with the Celanese Corporation here.

"We like it here very much, and have decided to take out Permanent residence visas, although we'll keep our Canadian citizenship."

THOUGH some of the more extreme anti-feminist movement women may not. believe it. "libers" such as Elizabeth Lucas Stephens often go the same suburbia route that they do.

"I was a Brownie leader for Cindy and also had a girls' club here for her. Then I'm an officer in the Newcomers Club of the Pelhams."

But the similarity probably ends there. Her next project involves "Career Information Kits" to be distributed to students at the high schools."

HOW DOES her husband feel about her deep commitment to the feminist movement?

"He certainly agrees that many things have been lacking in the past, such as equal pay for the same type of position. " And he's all for her returning to her professional life as long as it makes her happy.

The husband must be supportive", she said firmly. "Of course. a lot of husbands are not. Their priorities are home, husband and children. But, I think it is easier if both partners worked at the same time during their marriage, probably before the children arrived.

"OF COURSE," she added solemnly "It's unfortunate,but I think the feminist movement and a career outside the home give many of them the excuse they've been looking for, the excuse to say that because of these things their marriage isn't working.

"But, even with a good marriage, it isn't always easy. It takes a certain amount of time.
"And it takes a  lot of adjustment."