An associate professor from the University of Arizona is helping women in the agricultural field break through in a male-dominated profession.

Billye B. Foster spoke to about 120 people Wednesday at the Memorial Union. Foster is a leader in her male-dominated profession at the University of Arizona in Tempe. Through her life, she said, she has encountered many setbacks in obtaining jobs in teaching agricultural education.

She now offers a network and support system for women across the nation.

The ISU College of Agriculture identified gender issues as a No. 1 priority, and Foster is a premiere researcher in her field, said Brett Kramer, temporary instructor of agricultural education and studies, who worked with Foster during his college career.

Foster said the issues facing women are not a “woman vs. man” problem or a concern within the agriculture sector. Rather, she said, it is a societal issue that everyone must face.

“We expect women to do it all. Nobody can do it all,” she said. “Because we are imprinted that way, women are faced with a real dilemma. You can’t be in two places at the same time. The challenge is being brought up believing you always have to be there.”

Men would never have to make a choice between work and family, she said. “We think we have to make a choice and we really don’t. All we can do is what we think is best at the time,” Foster said.

Aside from her work at Arizona, Foster is editor of the newsletter Desert Roses that serves as a support system for female agricultural education teachers across the nation.

The speech was not attended solely by women. About 40 percent of the attendees were men looking for ways on how to respect women in the workplace.

Ryan Foor, junior in agricultural education, said he has been around female agriculture teachers and doesn’t see a problem with working with women in his future profession.

“Dr. Foster talked a lot about society and how we’re imprinted into stereotypical roles,” he said. “It’s important to remember that we’re all capable of taking on different roles.”

Foster stressed that excluding women from a lunch invitation or an informal business meeting is carrying out stereotypes. Foor said he wants to go beyond that.

“I want to make sure she was able to educate what she knew and not just stick her in a greenhouse because she would be better with flowers,” he said. “It is important to capitalize on people’s personal strengths.”

Robert Martin, professor and head of agricultural education and studies, said a redefinition of roles is occurring, but it is not a fast process.

“More and more women will want to be on an equal level as men, then you will have a complete redefinition of roles,” he said. “Most people look for someone or something to blame. But the more and more we talk, it’s going to be out there and we’ll find more ways to deal with it.”

Foster also spoke at the Sloss House Thursday afternoon and spoke to various students and faculty during her two-day stay. Ten organizations and departments sponsored her speech, including the College of Agriculture and the Margaret Sloss Women’s Center.