Life Options At Any Age

I wish I had saved the letter, but in fact half a century ago The Commonwealth of Australia* wrote to me promising to pay passage and stipend to “fecund women between the ages of 18 and 24” to immigrate there and settle, presumably to marry and be fruitful. That was too intimidating so I moved to California instead.

Curiously, I had also written to the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce** to find out the options for migrating there, and I received in response a short, stiff-arming letter to the effect of “Don’t come, we don’t want you.” It was rude enough to make a young woman blush.

Now I am facing the last great move of my life, from Bloomington, Illinois where I never wanted to be, to Seattle, Washington where I have always wanted to be. I will be age seventy when I make this last migration. God give me strength.

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* * “In 2015, male to female ratio for Australia was 99.36 males per 100 females. Though Australia male to female ratio fluctuated substantially in recent years, it tended to decrease through 1970 - 2015 period ending at 99.36 males per 100 females in 2015.”

Source: https://www.bing.com/search?q=ratio+of+women+to+men+in+australia&form=EDGEAR&qs=PF&cvid=3c783b8318944e40a9ebd22ccad2e24a&cc=US&setlang=en-US

** “In Anchorage the ratio of men to women is 1:1. There are more females than males in the state's capital of Juneau. Alaska, in general, 1 woman:1.07 men.”

Source: http://www.kgbanswers.com/what-is-the-ratio-of-men-to-women-in-anchorage-alaska/18877493 February 05 2012