Why Women’s History Month Matters

“I'm sometimes asked ‘When will there be enough women on the Supreme Court?’ And I say, when there are nine. People are shocked. But there'd been nine men, and nobody's ever raised a question about that.”  - Ruth Bader Ginsburg

It once occurred to me that there is nothing I could do in this world - get a job, promotion, or award, for example - and somebody say she only got it because she’s a woman. Only because I’m a woman, and that’s the “woke” thing to do.

And let me tell you, that is bullshit and that is why Women’s History Month matters. 

I never - and frankly, I don’t know anyone who does - want to achieve something because someone felt it would tick a box either for optics or to appease someone. People want to be recognized for their merit. 

My value is not in my gender. My value is in who I am. And honestly, that’s anyone. Your words and actions should be what holds your power, not your genitalia. Do I have different insights because I’m a woman? Yes.  My gender has absolutely influenced who I am, and, again, that is anyone. Gender is just one of the many many things that make you who you are. 

There are many problems that have led us to continued inequality, but I think a huge one we simply tend to ignore is acknowledging our own unconscious bias. Or do anything to work on our very much conscious biases. 

I’m not going to get deep into this but everyone has unconscious biases. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person. It is part of being human. But it makes people uncomfortable, so they don’t want to deal with it.

Too often still, women are called bossy when men are called leaders for the same behaviors. The Harvard Business Review explains why our word choices matter and how it affects our views of leadership. Druthers search also discusses how not only does it matter how we talk to women, it also matters how we talk about them (and provides examples of how men and women can express the same behaviors and are viewed differently).

Years ago - like I was in high school - I was told I could never be a good firefighter because I was female. And it was from someone I thought was a friend. I don’t think I will ever forget how that made me feel. It wasn’t about “proving them wrong” (because obviously they’re an idiot) but the ache of defeat with the idea I didn’t have a chance just because I was a woman.

Some people think that the right to vote meant that women were now equal to men but, like it or not, that isn’t the case. And even when the 19th Amendment was passed in 1920, there were still significant hurdles for some women to vote that weren’t eased until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990 - protecting Americans from discrimination which, in turn, protected their right to vote. But inequalities remain. 

Let’s look at some interesting stats:

• In 1972, President Richard Nixon signed Title IX of Education into law, guaranteeing the right to education free from sex discrimination. 

• In the United States, it wasn’t until 1974 that women could apply for a credit card in their name alone. 

• In 1975, women were given the right to serve on juries.

• Women could be fired for being pregnant until 1978 when the Pregnancy Discrimination Act was passed.

• It wasn’t until 1993 that marital rape became a crime in all 50 states. I was 15 months old when that came to pass. (No one is owed sex. Ever.)

None of these dates were that long ago.

Women’s History Month matters now more than ever, especially with the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Like I said, I am so much more than a woman but so often that can be all that is seen. 

Many women have seen their achievements erased from history or had someone else take the credit. Women’s History Month is an opportunity to highlight these stories. 

(Side note: I would love to see a month or week where we focused on achievements that were stolen and falsely attributed to someone else. There are a lot.) 

Did you know…

• Monopoly was invented by a woman but a man took credit?

•  Shirley Temple, adorable child star, was a highly regarded diplomat in her adult years?

• Hedy Lamarr was more than a glamorous Hollywood legend - she was an untrained inventor who laid the groundwork for what would later become WiFi.

• Jocelyn Bell Burrell discovered pulsars, the cosmic sources of peculiar radio pulses as a 24 year old PhD student. 

• The first female firefighter was Molly Williams, an enslaved Black woman. Her owner was a volunteer firefighter. She responded and extinguished a fire when all other members were unwell during a cholera outbreak. Afterwards, she became an unofficial member of the crew and was referred to as Volunteer No. 11.  

I grew up but not only with three brothers, but also at a firehouse. Lots of brotherlike figures. When I joined a sorority, it did fill a gap of sisterhood that I didn’t know existed. Empowered women do empower women.

I think about the women in my life who have inspired me. (Most names not included because I’m not sure they’d all want their names out there. So if you think this is you, good chance it is.

• My mom, the breadwinner in our home. How she and my dad were a team. How she took care of my dad when he was sick. Her support of me when I was searching for anything resembling an answer or to find pain relief that led me to be extremely limited in my mobility and in constant severe pain. It’s not fun being in your 30s and dependent on your mom because there were just so many damn things I couldn’t do. But she just rolled with it and it was never a big deal. (Note: She will say these things are the obvious choice/action. She deserves much more credit than she gives herself).

• I have two friends (I don’t think they’ve ever met) who both overcame eating disorders. And now are living fulfilled, happy lives - a type of happiness that is contagious. 

• Sorority advisers who were the big sisters I needed. 

• Badass professors who definitely overcame the bossy label and instead were, as I said, badass.

• Mentors and bosses who guided me or stood their ground to own their worth.

• Those dominating in their small business games!!!

• Friends and loved ones grow in careers as teachers, nurses, corporate roles, public safety, etc. 

• Friends and loved ones growing as mothers and watching them with their little ones.

• Testifying in Washington DC against harassment in the workplace

• Those who have stood up to sexism and the bullshit. Too often I have seen myself stay silent - and I’m not proud of that. I hope to get better at that. Hell, I’ve noticed it even while writing this post. 

This post was kind of all over the place. Definitely not my best work. But I just keep thinking of all the different things I could be talking about with this and just how far we have to go. 

I think about some of the famous women I admire, like Michelle Obama, Kamala Harris, or Taylor Swift. I point those ones out because I feel like nothing they do is ever right and how much of that stems from because they don’t fit a certain mold. 

And I wonder if we will ever forget those molds.

That’s why we tell these stories.

That’s why “until there are nine.”