Women’s History Month 

Every year, the United States dedicates the month of March to remember the inspiring women leaders who made major contributions to the American timeline. This year, the National Women’s History Alliance decided on the theme “providing healing and promoting hope” to recognize the milestones women have accomplished throughout history. By reserving March to honor impeccable women who changed the world, America encourages people to educate themselves on how women have impacted the course of history. 

Not long ago, women were greatly faced with discriminiation, degrading treatment, and exclusion. Even though this was the reality, women were resilient and abandoned silence. They used their voice to fight against oppressors, hoping to secure a better future for themselves and the generations of women to come. Therefore, with their powerful instrument and fierce mentality, women pressed until progress accelerated. Women pursued academic careers and earned degrees. Women demanded the right to vote. Women called for equal pay. They served alongside men in the military forces. Black women strived for social justice. The list is infinite. In all, these actions remind the women and girls in the modern age that change starts with determination.

To receive more perspective on how the public perceives the gender equality issue, Emily Perez, a Pitman High School Junior, was asked, “Do you think gender equality will become a true reality in the future? Why?”

Perez responded: “Though I speak with optimism, I think eventually we will close up the gender gap. I believe people are going to come to the realization that women are not only as capable as men, but so much more than one might imagine.”

As America reflects on women this March, people may look back and admire some of the bold women heroines who paved the way for social, political, and educational changes. Some of the many inspirational figures are Elizabeth Blackwell, Ada Lovelace, Susan B. Anthony, and Rosa Parks. 

Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman to receive a medical degree in the U.S. and altered the trajectory of medicine when she founded her own medical college for women. Ada Lovelace, a remarkable mathematician, became the world’s first computer programmer after designing an algorithm that made a programmable computer. Susan B. Anthony was at the heart of the women’s suffrage movement and pushed the passing of the 19th Amendment in the U.S. Constitution. Rosa Parks played a major role in the civil rights movement in the 1950s and orchestrated the Montgomery Bus Boycott, when she refused to give up her seat on a bus for a white man. Clearly, no barrier was too insuperable for these women.

While interviewing Sarah Foster, a Pitman High School 11th grade student, about topics relating to women’s history month, she was presented with the question: “Who is your women role model at the moment? Why?”

Foster replied, “My mom is my role model because she’s worked hard and she has gotten to where she is today by herself. She’s worked from the bottom up, and she’s just as powerful and competent as any person out there.”

With the intent to gain more perspective on the obstacles women have to combat today, during their interviews, both Foster and Perez were asked: “What is one of the greatest challenges you often see women face in this modern age?”

Perez responded, “One great challenge that I see women face today is that they are always looked down on and receive ill treatment. It is also upsetting that there still remains the idea that men are superior, which typically gets passed down through sports, jobs, and other platforms.”

Foster answered the same question with, “I think women have to face a lot of criticism speaking about equality. For a long time, women haven’t been taken seriously for it. It’s kind of been pushed under the rug, even though inequality is evident in the workplace and in politics…Especially because of the media, protests get blown out of proportion…which does nothing to help the cause.”

To this day, women are continuing to overcome the traditional gender roles and stereotypes that they have been encapsulated in for too long. Just over a year ago, the world witnessed history happening before their eyes: Kamala Harris became the first female, and of color, vice president of the United States when she was inaugurated into office on January 2o, 2021. From every end of the career spectrum, women are finding their place. While women today triumph the world, diversity and representation is finally becoming more embraced.

More into Foster’s interview session, she was asked: “Do you think America will ever see its first female president? How come?”

Foster replied “I do think America will see its first female president… I think that society, along with America, will continue to progress to more modern and normalized ideals, like a more diverse government. It might take time, but I think we’re getting closer to it than before.”

During this Women’s History Month, let the world celebrate and highlight women warriors and achievements in the past, as well as uplift the women in our lives today. No matter what time of the year it is, everyone should take a moment and pay tribute to the women who championed throughout history.