In March 1978, Women’s History Month was nationally declared, celebrating the significant achievements and contributions women have made to society, as well as spreading awareness about the challenges women have and continue to face.
Going back hundreds of years, there is no doubt that women faced significant inequality compared to men. In the 19th century women could not own property, vote, have legal rights to their children, work outside their home, and were dependent on their husbands.
Some of the most influential women in history include Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Eleanor Roosevelt. Ginsburg worked in the Supreme Court to become an advocate and fight for women’s rights, while Roosevelt defended women’s rights and activism during her time as the longest serving first lady of the United States.
“Women in history influence young girls today by letting them know that society will tell them they can’t do certain things, but they can. Women in the past have done the impossible to show future generations that they can be whatever they want and to never give up,” Paige Zipf ‘27 said.
A strong advocate for women’s rights and gender equality is Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She made a point on the importance of protecting the rights of pregnant working women, because of how largely pregnant women were discriminated against in their work environment. Ginsburg used her job as a lawyer to co-found the ACLU’s Women’s Rights Project (1972), and bring legal cases against gender discrimination.
“Women are different from men. They are equals in many ways, but they cannot refuse to acknowledge the differences,” Roosevelt stated, as seen in It’s Up to the Women: Eleanor Roosevelt, Women’s Politics, and Human Rights.
Eleanor Roosevelt was a compassionate woman who fought for women’s rights in the 1930’s because she believed that women should have equal rights. As the first lady to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, she did her duty to expand the roles of women in the workplace, support the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), promote education for women and girls, fight against discrimination, build foundations of her New York feminist political community, and ultimately serve as a role model for young girls and women following her.
“The women’s suffrage movement is one of the most important in women’s history. It shows that women fought for their rights and the long, hard battle that they fought for equality and in my opinion, both men and women shouldn’t take things for granted because a few decades ago, we didn’t have the same rights,” Adrienne Landerville ‘27 said.
This Women’s History Month, we honor the remarkable achievements of women in history, while also recognizing those who are shaping the future. There are countless women who paved the way for others, to ensure that in the future, all women will be able to dream, lead, and thrive.
This women’s history month, The Lance is featuring some of the strong female students and staff on campus, as well as women in sports and pop culture. If you have an idea of someone who you would like to see featured, fill out this Google Form.
