She added that marriages between two people who established their careers before marriage are the only ones she knows of in Washington that have survived.

Tuchman added working women must learn not to think using their secretary is a "violation of sisterhood."

In a workshop on women in entry and mid-level positions, Jeanne Khan, the only women in the Defense Audit Agency to serve as an administrative officer, said academic degrees are less important in acquiring top-level positions than the fundamental decision to "select power."

In the same workshop, Hildy Simmons, director of community relations for the New York State Department of corrections, said she was neither concerned with nor knew about crime or corrections before aquiring her job, but her analytical ability enabled her to look at problems intelligently and work with others to help solve them.

The other workshops dealt with alternative career paths, women as elected officials, and women in public management.

Mary Kurkjian, conference coordinator, said last week she hoped the conference would help form an "old girls network," or support system for women in the public sector.

Names and addresses of conference goers were gathered at the conference to facilitate the establishment of such a network of women.

The more traditional "old boys network" is breaking down slowly, and maybe both men and women in the public sector will eventually form a mutual support system, Kurkjian added