By Caylee Brown As March marks the beginning of Women’s History Month in America, understanding the history behind both what America has done for women and what women have done for America plays a pivotal role in modern day feminism and improving the treatment of feminine people so society can progress further. Understanding gender equality activism goes beyond things like the problematic suffragette movements of the 1920’s, and past the average person’s surface level understanding of how sexist stereotypes are perpetuated constantly in today’s society. Women’s History Month, above all things, is a month for acknowledging and attempting to rid society of the misogynistic qualities embedded in it. Much like Black History Month, Women’s History Month was once known as Women’s History Week. First celebrated on a local level at Santa Rosa, California, women’s history was only federally observed by the government when Congress designated the week of March 7th, 1982, to be a week for celebrating the contributions to society that some women made when they were occupying relatively oppressive positions, like being homemakers and looking after children. In 1987, the week of women’s history received an upgrade, and was now federally observed in March as Women’s History Month. Women’s History Month is important to women and non-women alike because it opens the opportunity to educate people about pressing issues in our society that affect women (and sometimes even other genders as a result). By teaching the people around us about inventors who were women, or women who forever changed the gender norm, it encourages and makes way for an otherwise tough talk in our society that some people avoid altogether. Albeit confusing and sometimes difficult to execute/navigate properly, educating youth about things like the gender wage gap ultimately make it easier to combat sexism in society. If our peers are already familiar with the concept of women being disadvantaged by their gender identity, especially if they’re queer or BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color), it becomes way easier to have a less taboo talk about equalizing the way we perceive gender, masculinity compared to femininity, and coming up with a solution to these pressing issues. As March marks the beginning of Women’s History Month in America, understanding the history behind both what America has done for women and what women have done for America plays a pivotal role in modern day feminism and improving the treatment of feminine people so society can progress further. Understanding gender equality activism goes beyond things like the problematic suffragette movements of the 1920’s, and past the average person’s surface level understanding of how sexist stereotypes are perpetuated constantly in today’s society. Women’s History Month, above all things, is a month for acknowledging and attempting to rid society of the misogynistic qualities embedded in it. Much like Black History Month, Women’s History Month was once known as Women’s History Week. First celebrated on a local level at Santa Rosa, California, women’s history was only federally observed by the government when Congress designated the week of March 7th, 1982, to be a week for celebrating the contributions to society that some women made when they were occupying relatively oppressive positions, like being homemakers and looking after children. In 1987, the week of women’s history received an upgrade, and was now federally observed in March as Women’s History Month. Women’s History Month is important to women and non-women alike because it opens the opportunity to educate people about pressing issues in our society that affect women (and sometimes even other genders as a result). By teaching the people around us about inventors who were women, or women who forever changed the gender norm, it encourages and makes way for an otherwise tough talk in our society that some people avoid altogether. Albeit confusing and sometimes difficult to execute/navigate properly, educating youth about things like the gender wage gap ultimately make it easier to combat sexism in society. If our peers are already familiar with the concept of women being disadvantaged by their gender identity, especially if they’re queer or BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color), it becomes way easier to have a less taboo talk about equalizing the way we perceive gender, masculinity compared to femininity, and coming up with a solution to these pressing issues. Furthermore, observing/celebrating Women’s History Month and acknowledging the agendas and efforts of gender equality activism can also be valuable when looking through the lens of other marginalized communities that are ultimately affected by similar problems. By recognizing the oppressiveness of sexism that disproportionately affects things like income gaps, societal standards, and how femininity is interpreted and objectified, activists have easier access to discussing and combating problems within their historically disenfranchised communities that need the support by using feminism (a widely accepted movement) as a lead in to other issues, like homophobia and racism. Although gender equality is widely accepted and acknowledged among most people, even if not in a positive light, being respectful to women/feminine people is a crucial part of Women’s History Month and observing the month as an educational opportunity to learn more about how sexism has affected women. Without the women in your life, you definitely wouldn’t exist, nor would you know what a dishwasher is (invented by Josephine Cochran)… or how to escape a fire in a building with multiple floors (thanks to Anna Connelly). My point is, make sure you put effort into recognizing how powerful all women are, even if just withstanding the day to day misogyny most of them face (because, as much as it’s minimized, it’s still a struggle). Happy Women’s History Month!
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