It doesn’t mean saying we don’t have a softer or feminine side.  What it does say and mean is we have a voice.  And there is no reason why our voices shouldn’t be heard. Gender equality can be celebrated without losing sight of who we are as women. 

In the United States, we celebrate Women’s Equality Day on August 26.  This marks the date of when in 1920 the adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment(Amendment XIX) to the United States Constitution, which prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex. 

Women’s equality was first celebrated in 1973 and is announced each year by the United States President.

Did you know women’s equality is important to economic development?

Sustainable development relies on ending discrimination toward women and providing equal opportunities for education and employment. women’s equality has had substantial evidence shown to stimulate economic growth, which is crucial for developing countries.

It does not require that girls and boys, or women and men, be the same, or that they be treated exactly alike.  On a global scale, achieving gender equality requires eliminating harmful practices against women and girls, including sex trafficking, femicide, wartime sexual violence, and other oppression tactics.

Our equality affects our health as well

Throughout history, women’s experiences have been overlooked or discounted in doctor’s offices. Diseases that disproportionately affect women—like autoimmune diseases, fibromyalgia, and many chronic pain conditions—have been under-researched, leaving doctors without a clear understanding of how to recognize and treat them. And doctors dismiss the accounts of women patients too often, leading to a “trust gap” that affects women’s health care in disproportionately negative ways.

What can we do about all this?

Women need to honor themselves.  Look to other women with like-minded views, thoughts, and walks of life to support each other.  Find other women in your area to support and practice using our voices.

Equality isn’t about denying our amazing womanhood, it’s actually speaking up and saying our womanhood has a unique view of things that deserve to be heard and seen.

How are you going to celebrate gender equality today?

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