Today is not just an ordinary Monday. It should be every woman’s favorite holiday. It’s Women’s Equality Day. Women’s Equality Day was created in 1971 by the U.S. Congress and designated to August 26. The date was selected to commemorate the 1920 passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which granted women the right to vote, according to the National Women’s History Project.
Women’s Equality Day is not just a day, but something that women should be mindful of every day. Not just the big events, but the small stepping stones as well. So congratulate yourself. You are a woman and every day you work towards improving you, you are also giving women everywhere a good reputation.
Maybe this specific day does not get as much press as the upcoming Labor Day (which incidentally has nothing to do with the color white or pool closings), but who needs a Monday off when all of us women can feel warm and fuzzy about how far we’ve come since 1920? Women are CEOs like Marissa Mayer of Yahoo; they fly and walk into space like Kathryn Sullivan; and they start environmental movements like Rachel Carson did with her book The Silent Spring. Women are powerful members of society and it’s important that we don’t let anyone forget it.
The suffragists fought for their right to vote and we must continue our fight for equality and representation. Women hold only 18.3% of the seats in US congress; 98 women currently serve in the US Congress, 20 in the senate, and 78 in the House. Women in the US get paid 77 cents to every 1 dollar that men get. According to the Department of Commerce Women in Science Technology Engineering and Math, women only make up 24% of these high paying jobs.
The fight is far from over so enjoy the rest of your Monday by empowering the women around you and thanking the women who have come before you.
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