March is the Month for Women

Written by Reagan Bruan

March is Women’s History Month and it celebrates the accomplishments and achievements of women all around the world. Women’s History Month is celebrated to remind those of the amazing changes women have made to our society, and it is a way to recognize those who have led and are leading the way for change.

The theme for the month, which was released by the National Women’s History Alliance, is “Women Providing Healing, Promoting Hope.” It’s a tribute to those who have been on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, there wasn’t always a month dedicated to women’s history, but rather a day. March 8th was chosen because it commences the fourth and final day of a war-time strike in Russia, where women demanded “bread and peace”. This day became known as International Women’s Day or IWD.

Several countries had celebrated their own national Women’s Day, but Clara Zetkin, a German Activist, suggested the idea to make it an international holiday at the Copenhagen International Conference of Working Women in 1910. Over 100 women from 17 countries agreed unanimously to her idea.

International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month are still important, because it reminds women of their achievements and call for celebration, and a few women gave their opinions on why it’s important. Darby Senior Lilly Hoening said, “Because women are powerful and do amazing things.”

Baldwin Wallace sophomore Nicole Logan wrote, “It’s important to me because I value all the hard work and hardships women before me faced to get to where we are today,” and Otterbein freshman Yasmeen Khafagy put, “It celebrates me as a whole unit of a person and not one aspect of me.”

However, it also brings up important discussions. One in three women will experience gender-based violence in their lifetimes. Women are still being paid less than their male counterparts while working more in unpaid and domestic work. Also in many countries, women still do not have equal access to land, economic, and educational opportunities.

So again, March calls for a celebration of women and all their great past and present achievements, but it also calls for the need for true gender equality.

image: campaign.com