Women's History Month
Spring begins in March. Sort of. Or at least the desperate hope for blooming flowers, blue skies, and bright sunlight begins. St. Patrick’s Day occurs in March. But beneath the blatantly acknowledged events lies something that many people fail to even remember: Women’s History Month.
And if they remember it, they do not truly consider what it means. College freshman Melissa noted that Women’s History Month is something that is not often recognized by the general public. “Of course I remember the cliché comments thcat are made by commercials on TV stations…but then I thought about how many people generally think about Women’s History Month,” said Melissa. She added that everyone knows about other holidays and events, but many people forget about Women’s History Month. “Is it because people fail to realize that women have struggled in the past and are still struggling? Maybe it’s the underlying sexism that is predominant in today’s society,” suggested Melissa.
Women have a deep history and though they did not have many rights, they still made vital contributions to society; they made the world the place it is today. And yet, that goes unacknowledged, possibly because of the role women were allowed to have in society in the past, or even the limited role women are still expected to have today.
High school senior Emily believes raising awareness for women’s history is important. “I think a lot of times in books and classes, we don’t do justice to women… women of all different eras did something worth noting, but people aren’t willing to dig deep enough,” said Emily. In history classes, we study a few women who made very significant contributions to the world. However, we learn less about the everyday lives of women. We learn less about what they had to go through. We learn less about how the average women were repressed in society. They were here, on this Earth; they were part of something.
Women’s rights are still an issue, and to approach the issue, we must look at the past. “I think there are great women who have contributed a lot to society in the past but aren’t acknowledged for their great work. Most people know how women’s suffrage came to be but they don’t know the details behind it,” said Emily. “There are so many untold stories that are just waiting to be heard.” Emily does not believe that anything major necessarily needs to be done for Women’s History Month in schools, but she thinks videos and presentations that acknowledge more women in history would be useful. “It teaches [people] to look back at women’s history and be proud of what those women did. It shows the potential of all women and encourages women to keep moving forward in society,” said Emily.
Furthermore, it shows people the importance of women in society. Women are not simply here, existing. Women changed the world, and continue to change the world. That is something that we should never just set aside, unacknowledged and uncharted. Maybe all of the details didn’t make it to the history books, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t important. Women’s history is part of the world’s history. Women’s history is part of everyone’s history. Women’s history is not just important for women; it’s important for everyone.
Despite what society still seems to believe, women’s history is something that everyone should care about, not just for a month, but also for always.