March is National Women’s History Month, a time designated to recognize and celebrate the historic accomplishments of women. While researching for this post I learned that prior to the 1970s, women’s history wasn’t taught in public schools in grades kindergarten through 12th. Frankly, I don’t remember it being taught as recently as the 1990s when my daughters were in public school. I do remember that, when I was in college in the 1970s, I took a never-before-offered-course in women’s literature. It was perhaps my favorite course in my entire college tenure. The professor was a dynamo, a Ph.D, a book author and just about the coolest person on earth. I took the course more for the experience of being taught by her than for the actual readings we did. I – and I’d bet most of the other students in the class, all of whom were female – wanted to be like her when we graduated from college and began to make our way in the world.
But, although I was raised in a family with a mother who was college educated, an award-winning writer and editor and a feminist before the term became popular, I was unprepared after graduation to do battle for jobs that went so easily to my male counterparts. Case in point: After graduation a male friend and I, equipped with portfolios of our clips from our college newspaper and journalism classes, took to the streets of New York City in search of jobs as editorial assistants for any magazine that would have us. We ended up getting some of the same interviews and would arrange to meet afterwards to compare notes. In every single interview we’d had, my friend was asked to share his portfolio. That rarely happened to me. I’d walk into the interview and after the initial introductions, I’d be asked how many words per minute I typed. I’d dodge the question and refer the interviewer to my portfolio. He – or she – repeated the question and, without fail, my interview would end with a typing test. My friend had not been asked, not even once, about his typing skills. The interviewers read his portfolio each and every time and, in short order, he was offered a job as an editorial assistant on a literary magazine. My first job after graduation and months of interviewing at publishing companies, advertising agencies and newspapers was as a front desk receptionist for an employment agency. Sigh. I stayed a year to the day, paying my dues, before I began my career in earnest as an editorial assistant at a magazine publisher. I’m happy to report that, many years later, my daughters, upon their graduations from college, were never asked to take a typing test.
We’ve come a long way.
The month-long celebration of National Women’s History Month centers on today, International Women’s Day. Today, more than a thousand events are held throughout the world to celebrate women’s achievements. For information on events in your city, visit http://www.internationalwomensday.com.
The theme for this year’s National Women’s History Month is Celebrating Women of Character, Courage and Commitment and, in this vein, twelve women have been named as honorees. Instead of simply listing them, let’s have a little fun. You like quizzes, I hope. I’ve copied the Honoree Quiz from the National Women’s History Project website http://www.nwhp.org. and pasted it below. See how many you get right. (I did really poorly demonstrating, in my opinion, the need for National Women’s History Month.)
1. Who wrote A Voice from the South?
2. Who was an American Indian Peace
Maker?
3. Who provided women with a high- level of secretarial training?
4. Who wrote Puerto Rican Women?
5. Who established the Old Lesbian
Oral Herstory Project?
6. Who was the pharmacologist who
refused to approve thalidomide?
7. Who graduated first in her class
from Gallaudet University?
8. Who became the first disabled
woman elected to Congress?
9. Who established the first residential shelter for adult female survivors of human trafficking?
10. Who served as a White House Communications Director?
11. Who is a leading civil rights trial attorney?
12. Who established the first rape crisis center in Florida?
ANSWERS:
1. Anna Julia Cooper
2. Chipeta
3. Katharine Ryan Gibb
4. Carmen Delgado Votaw
5. Arden Eversmeyer
6. Frances Oldham Kelsey
7. Agatha Tiegel
8. Tammy Duckworth
9. Jaida Im
10. Ann Lewis
11. Lisa Taylor .
12. Roxy O’Neal Bolton
As we celebrate women’s accomplishments this month, let’s not forget that, in many countries, women are married off as children, refused access to education and political participation and are brutally punished for disobeying their husbands or fathers. While I’m not comparing the plight of American women with those in other countries, we still grapple with issues of equality, including women’s health issues and pay parity. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, women earned 77 cents for every dollar that men earned in 2012 when the median earnings of American women working full time year-round were $37,791. By contrast, American men earned a median income of $49,398 that same year.
Let’s recognize and celebrate women on this International Women’s Day but let’s not forget that the fight for equality rages on. You’ve come a long way, baby – but you’ve still got a long way to go.
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Well I got 1 right – only knew Tammy Duckworth, the military vet in Congress – I watched her election closely when she ran for Senate and lost but was so happy when she jumped back in & ran for congress! She is awesome & inspiring!
Agreed! She is awesome and inspiring. Thanks for reading Miss Debra. You are also awesome and inspiring! xo
Wonderful, inspirational article that tells it like it was and is. We have indeed come a long way baby. (And that’s not a reference to the Virginia Slims ad campaign.)