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Fierro, Maria (audio interview #3 of 3)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This is the final interview with Maria Fierro conducted in the kitchen of her modest, postwar tract home. As in the previous interviews, she was uncomfortable discussing personal matters and her responses were direct, without much elaboration. 4/13/1981
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- 2021-07-15
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- SUBJECT BIO - Maria Fierro had been an been an agricultural worker prior to her employment at Douglas. Fierro was the second of eleven children. After finishing grammar school, she began working in the fields of the ranch that her father and uncle leased in Fountain Valley and later did seasonal packing house work. She married when she was only sixteen and by the time she began working at Douglas in 1940, she had four children. After she was laid off from Douglas, she returned to the packing houses until 1949, when she was re-hired at Douglas. She remained there for the next thirty years until her retirement. A tall, slightly flamboyant woman, Fierro looked younger than her years. The three interview sessions with her were conducted in the kitchen, around a large booth-type table. Her modest postwar tract home, where she raised her children, is filled with family pictures. The interview process was difficult for Fierro, who was uncomfortable discussing personal matters, for instance her marriages. As a result, the interviews are all rather short and direct, with little elaboration. TOPICS - rural life; children; single motherhood; social activities; retirement from Douglas; post-retirement employment; attitudes towards women's liberation, abortion, and equal rights; menopause; health; family life; and
- *** File: rrrmfierro5.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-0:54)... When Fierro worked on her father's farm she wore coveralls, or bloomers, and tennis shoes. Her father accepted this attire when she was working, but did not like her to wear pants at any other time. She was accustomed to wearing pants by the time she went to work at Douglas Aircraft. (0:54-1:24)... Fierro did not have very many friends while she lived on her father's farm in Fountain Valley. The people that she socialized with were her siblings or her twelve cousins who lived on a farm a mile a way. (1:24-2:03)... Fierro was told about two women kissing while working in the tool crib at Douglas. She did not observe this behavior and does not know of any other instances of lesbianism at Douglas. (2:03-2:55)... Fierro worked the swing shift at Douglas and had very little time to spend with her family. She worked six days a week, including over time. Her only day off was Sunday, which was spent attending to household and childcare responsibilities. Fierro's mother was the caretaker of her children until she died in 1951. (2:55-3:52)... Her life was far better when she was not married. Her husbands were a burden and another person she had to attend to at the end of her busy workday. She preferred to be alone than with someone who did not complement her life. (3:52-4:55)... Although she is not particularly active or interested in political matters, she learns about political issues at election time. She began voting when she was twenty-one years old and has never missed an election. She is not active in any social clubs and prefers to spend her time crocheting, sewing, and doing things around the house. (4:55-9:21)... She retired from Douglas in January 1976. She did not want to retire from Douglas, but felt it was the best thing to do at the time. She continued to keep in contact with her co-workers at Douglas, many of whom lived near her. She missed her job at Douglas and eventually realized that she needed to find other work to keep herself busy. Between 1978-79, she worked for a company that manufactured drapes and venetian blinds. She describes her responsibilities at this company. In 1981, she went to work at a preschool taking care of children before school started and during recess breaks. (9:21-10:14)... Fierro never analyzed the women's liberation movement because she feels "liberated" already. She believes that things are easier for women today than they were when she was growing up. (10:14-11:24)... Fierro discusses her attitudes towards abortion. Even though she heard about ERA, she does not have an opinion on equal rights. (11:24-13:13)... Fierro remembers her post-retirement trip to Europe as one of the happiest times in her life. The unhappiest times in her life were the deaths of her parents and two of her daughters. (13:13-14:42)... Fierro went through menopause from the ages of forty-three to forty-eight. During this time, she occasionally experienced depression and hot flashes. In the late 1940s, she received a hysterectomy. She did not experience any complications from the operation and recovered within three weeks. (14:42-17:06)... Fierro discusses single motherhood and how she raised her children. (17:06-20:11)... If she had to live her life over again, she would not get married. She spends her time working part-time, completing household responsibilities, and sewing. She occasionally travels with a male companion but does not spend very much time with friends. She reads the newspaper every day and attends mass on Saturdays with a friend. (20:11-21:30)... Fierro thinks that the only change in her life that occurred as a result of her defense work during WWII was a dramatic decrease in her spare time. During the war, she worked seven days a week and received one Sunday off each month. When she returned to Douglas after the war, she enjoyed the stability and job security that Douglas offered. (21:30-24:45)... Fierro has eighteen grandchildren. When she worked at Douglas for fifteen years, she was eligible for a month vacation. She spent most of her vacations with her family. End of tape.
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