As you might know, most months are the month of “something.” For example, February is Black History Month. March is the month designated to celebrate Women's history. In March we celebrate the contributions women made in American history. Read on for more information!
History
Women's History Month was first proclaimed by President Jimmy Carter. It started out as the week of March 8th, 1980. Jimmy Carter stated his reason for this in this notable quote, “From the first settlers who came to our shores, from the first American Indian families who befriended them, men and women have worked together to build this nation. Too often the women were unsung and sometimes their contributions went unnoticed. But the achievements, leadership, courage, strength, and love of the women who built America was as vital as that of the men whose names we know so well.” Presidents that came after Jimmy Carter made Presidential Proclamation after Presidential Proclamation until 1987. Congress passed a law identifying March as “Women's History Month.” During 1988-1994, Congress passed resolutions asking the President to proclaim March as Women’s History Month. Since 1995, every president has issued an annual proclamation designating the month of March as “Women’s History Month.”
Notable Figures in Women History
There are very notable figures in women's history. There are three examples of women that contributed a great amount to American history.
Marie Curie
Our first amazing woman is Marie Curie, the very woman our school is named after! She discovered radium and polonium. She made huge contributions to finding a treatment for cancer. She overcame sickness and poverty to succeed immensely.
Hellen Keller
Our second phenomenal woman is Hellen Keller. At the age of 19 months she went ill with a fever that left her blind and deaf. She overcame this and became the first deaf-blind person to effectively communicate with the sighted and hearing world. She also wrote a book.
Malala Yousafzai
Our final flabbergasting woman is Malala Yousafzai. She is an advocate for girls' education. She does this because she was not allowed to go to school. The Taliban, a group that seized control of Afghanistan, did not allow girls to go to school. For that reason she fights for girls’ education. Malala overcame a shot in the head by the Taliban and is still working strong to provide this right to girls across the globe.
We are Backtracking: Walking 2 steps forward but walking 5 steps backwards
This great month celebrates women's contributions and women progress, but unfortunately we have not gotten as far as we thought. In the Barbie movie Ken says, “You guys are clearly not doing patriarchy very well.” And, that’s a good thing right? Everyone is equal, but the man Ken is talking to replies with this sad but true quote, “We are doing it well, we just hide it better now.” Some problems are the gender gap, which you might be surprised by. Most kids think it is only about race, but gender is also a factor. Here are some gender pay gap statistics in 2024( yes, this year!) by FORBES advisor-
Women earn 16% less than men on average.
Women earn 84 cents for every dollar a man makes.
Women of color are among the lowest-paid workers in rural areas
Rural Black and Hispanic women make 56 cents for every dollar that rural white, non-Hispanic men make.
Latinas are compensated just 55% of what non-Hispanic white men are paid in 2024.
Black women are paid 64% of what non-Hispanic white men are paid.
Native American women are typically paid only 59 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men.
A 20-year-old woman just starting full-time, year-round work stands to lose $407,760 over a 40-year career compared to her male counterpart.
Conclusion
Would you stand for this treatment? We repeat our history if we learn nothing from it. Women have contributed great things to society, just as good as men. Underneath everything, our skin, our gender, our jobs, our character-we are equal and should be treated as such. Don’t treat anyone anything other than what they are–human.