WOMEN’S EQUALITY DAY

“I’m willing to be seen.

I’m willing to speak up.

I’m willing to keep going.

I’m willing to listen to what others have to say.

I’m willing to go to bed each night at peace with myself.

I’m willing to be my biggest bestest most powerful self.”

                                                                                        ― Emma Watson

Women have been fighting for their fair share in the society for a long time, and they are still struggling to some extent. They have been fighting for the basic rights like Right to Vote, Right to live a life free of violence and discrimination, Right to Education, Right to equal pay, which should not have been fought for as these are the human rights and if the other gender didn’t have to fight for it then why did women have to fight for it? 

Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) was a path-breaking work of literature which still resonates in feminism and human rights movements of the present day. Back in the early 19th Century in the U.S., women began to raise their voice for attaining the Right to Vote. It was up to the States to decide who could vote. The 19th Amendment, approved in the year 1920, ensures the voting right for everyone irrespective of the gender. This marked the beginning of annually celebrating August 26th as the Women’s Equality Day. 

The date was chosen to commemorate the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that prohibited the States and the federal government from denying the citizens of the Right to Vote on the basis of the gender, to recall the day in 1920 when Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby, signed the proclamation granting the women of America the Constitutional voting right. Later in the year 1971, following the 1970 nationwide Women’s Strike for Equality, and again in 1973 when the battle over the Equal Rights Amendment was still on, congresswoman Bella Abzug of New York introduced the resolution of marking 26th August as the Women’s Equality Day.

 President Richard Nixon, in the year 1972, issued proclamation 4147, that designated 26th August 1972 as the “Women’s Rights Day” which was the first official proclamation of Women’s Equality Day. Since the day back then, every year 26th August has been observed as the Women’s Equality Day where people celebrate the various achievements of numerous women activists and to recall the struggles that they faced for these achievements.

“Human rights are Women’s Rights and women’s rights are human rights”- Hillary Clinton

Stepping on the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Constitutional Amendment along with the vision of equality between men and women, but till date, women are not viewed as equal as the opposite gender. Women often fall victim to the inequality gap whether that be in the working environment or be it the household matters. They have always been forced to prove their worth in terms of equality although when it comes to any work fields the women have mostly excelled in it. 

One cannot turn a blind eye towards the fact that the wage gap between men and women still exists and it has created an impact in the women’s economic power! The society has always made the people believe in the concept of Men are Superior to women through various actions and this concept is still deeply rooted in many minds, even the women believed this, such power was the impact of the society and its outdated customs. 

When you look around you too will notice that there is still a long way to go. The women in some of the rural areas are deprived of their Right to Education and from an early age are confined within the four walls. According to an article in Fortune, women are rarely found at the very top levels of US business organizations and comprise only 15.2% of the corporate boards of Fortune-500, about four-in-ten working women (42%) said they have experienced gender discrimination at work, compared with about two-in-ten men (22%) who said the same.

Although many steps are being taken to ensure women equality, inequality still persists. But in order to achieve a wide range of international development goals, the women must be liberated to fly high. Talking about the closer situation that most of the people can relate to, if men and women are equal then why do the women of the family- the mother, grandmother, sister, wife have to deal with entire household chores along with handling their work? 

Let’s rise above all the prejudices and embrace appreciation for the women in your life. Many women-owned enterprises are now rising, support such courageous entrepreneurs and make the maximum use of consumer power! Take this Women’s Equality Day as a gentle reminder to show your gratitude for the important women in your life.[/fusion_text][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”default” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=””]

 “There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish”

-Michelle Obama

-Rakshanda Shrestha