Celebrating Women in History During March

Posted on Mar 1, 2021 | 0 comments

As the mother of a daughter, as a business woman, as an influencer, women’s history is a very important topic for me to share about. Women’s rights have come such a long way and are so important that we have an entire month presidentially dedicated to Women’s History, and it starts today March 1!

As women’s rights continue to evolve, as we break more glass ceilings, taking the time to remember how it all started, the roots of the women’s rights movement, is so important to our conscious mindsets. Knowing what those strong women went through before us in order to give us the freedom’s and equalities we know today as we continue to bring fairness and justice for women everywhere is motivating and inspiring.

From the celebrities we admire, to the change-makers of our current world, to our history making Vice President, to all the women who are out living their dream, Women’s History Month gives us a chance to highlight their accomplishments, to lift them up and to take a look at the past and how much progress truly has been made.

Women’s History Recognition From Day To Week To Month

Today, women’s rights is pretty mainstream and has attention daily. So why is March dedicated to Women’s History and not some other month? I did a little research and loved what I found out!

It all began with one single day in February of 1908 in New York City when thousands of women gathered to march seeking better and fair labor laws, conditions and the right to vote. One year later on February 28, 1909 the Socialist party held what was called the first International Women’s Day gathering in Manhattan to march again for better rights for women.

This idea and the need for women’s rights everywhere caught on like wildfire, running across Europe and Russia and even Australia and the South Pacific. German socialist Clara Zetkin introduced the concept in 1910 at the International Conference of Women in Copenhagen to 100 women from 17 different countries. All agreed that this was needed. International Women’s Day was formally honored on March 8, 1911 by several European countries, with Russia to follow by 1917. In the US, March 3, 1913 was the first major suffragist parade that took over Washington DC. And in March of 1917 The National Woman’s Party was formed. Sadly, due to it’s connection to socialism, the holiday was not largely recognized in the United States until 1975, when the US was in the midst of recognizing women’s rights on a larger scale.

During the early 70’s time in the US:

Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in all federally funded education programs, was passed by the Senate on March 1, 1972. It became law later that year. In fact, the educators who formed the first Women’s History Week a few years later did so to help schools comply with Title IX regulations.
The Equal Rights Amendment, a constitutional amendment which guarantees rights regardless of sex past those assured by the 19th Amendment, passed the Senate on March 22, 1972. (P.S. — it’s still not fully ratified.)

Very quickly the National Women’s History Alliance realized that there was an incredible lack of information on women’s history and so they initiated a week long celebration of women’s history starting on March 8, 1978.

It was such a success, that by 1980 President Jimmy Carter dedicated the week of March 8 to be Women’s History week from that point on.

Photo credit: womenshistorymonth.org

By 1986, 14 states had dubbed March to be Women’s History month and here we are today! Celebrating Women’s History Month recognized in all of the states, in most of the countries, in all of our homes and hearts.

To all the strong women out there –

May we know them,

May we raise them,

May we be them.

Cheers!

Malibu Mama Loves Xx