Equality Rights Day

Today, August 26, marks an important date in Women's history in the United States. The date of August 26, 1920 saw the adoption of the 19th Amendment. The date was a victory for all those that had battled ferociously for the cause.  The 19th amendment allowed all women to vote as they could no longer be denied the right to vote on the basis of sex. 

Women's Equality day was granted by President Richard Nixon September 7, 1970. In 1973 Congress designated the day as Women's Equality Day. The date was granted at a time when the women's rights movement demanded freedom for American women. While this seems some time ago, and for my young readers may seem like a date in the far past the truth is that it was truly under 50 years ago when the American women were granted the day to celebrate equality. 

"NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that August 26th of each year is designated as Women’s Equality Day, and the President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation annually in commemoration of that day in 1920, on which the women of America were first given the right to vote, and that day in 1970, on which a nationwide demonstration for women’s rights took place."

The battle for equality has come a long way from the day of women being considered to be property of their husband. The law of Coverture prohibited married women from signing legal documents, owning property or having a profession. The leaders of the 1848 Seneca Falls, N.Y demanded a change of equality focusing on issues at hand that would eventually lead to the 19th amendment Women demanded many changes including 

• the right to a higher education
• economic rights of women
• the right to have a good job
• the right to own property
• the right to vote.

Today women still battle for equality. With under 20% of congressional seats being held by women and only around 1/4 of all state seats are held by women. In the local government women only mayar about 1/10th of the largest cities in the United States. It is clear to see that women still do not represent the government or its people equally. Possible reasons include: 

• women are still being raised to avoid careers in politics
• women take their personal responsibilities in the home keep them from world of politics
• women are not as active even after obtaining the right to vote

The United States trails other western countries in the number of women in the workforce. The gap between governmental, business an societal support of working women. Programs such as family leave, alternative work arrangements, part time employment and other measures to help women in the workplace have been neglected. Improvements need to be made in each of these areas so that more women can get, keep and maintain a job. 

Some occupations still do not provide equality for both men and women. Women have started to find the workplace easier to enter there are still more women striving to enter the traditional male workforce than men attempting to take jobs that are thought to belong in the women world. This in turn creates a gender gap. 

A pay gap between men and women still exist in the United States as well. The gap has been narrowing since the Equal Pay Act the gap has slowed to a halt in the last 20 - 30 years. One reason is that women are often hired in lower paying jobs leaving the higher paying jobs for men. Often statistics show that even when men and women hold the same job that men make more than women. Women with children often receive about 10% less pay than men and women without children. 

Education has seen some changes as well with more women attending college. The most noticeable gender segregation now is in the type of degree that is pursued.  Women primary degrees are education and nursing and degrees sought by men being engineering. It also seems that men are allowed a slight advantage over women when applying for highly selective universities. However, in 1992 women started to attend college at higher number than men. 

While there are still issues to battle when it comes to gender equality in the United States the changes since the beginning are great This day honors all those that gave their time, selves and endless work to the cause of women equality 

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