Women’s Equality Day in U.S. 2023: Date, History, Facts, Activities

The right to vote, the linchpin of democracy, pertains to all citizens; however, this was not always the case. Until recent years, the majority of countries denied women the right to vote. In the early 19th century, women began agitating for the right to vote in order to assert their voice. In the United States, voting eligibility decisions were left to the states. The 1920 ratification of the 19th Amendment guarantees the right to vote to all citizens, regardless of gender. Today, Women’s Equality Day honours the accomplishments of women’s rights activists and calls attention to the unique daily struggles women experience. To ensure that no one oppresses women, we must equip them with education, and to support their education, they need funds that can help them create a solid foundation for their future.

The background of Women’s Equality Day

Women’s Equality Day, observed annually on August 26, commemorates the passage of women’s suffrage in the United States and recalls us of the heroic women who overcame violence and discrimination to advance the women’s movement.

In the early 19th century, American women began organising to demand political rights and representation, despite the fact that they were generally unable to inherit property and earned half as much as men in any available occupations.

Several countries, including Finland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, legalised women’s right to vote by the early 1900s as the movement continued to spread the globe. The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution was first proposed in 1878, but failed to garner traction. Women’s suffrage did not acquire sufficient support until their contributions to World War I became painfully obvious. Women’s rights organisations pointed out the hypocrisy of the United States fighting for democracy in Europe while denying it to half of its own citizens.

Because two-thirds of the states are required to ratify a Constitutional amendment, 36 states were required to ratify the 19th Amendment prior to its adoption. The deciding vote in the Tennessee legislature was cast by Harry T. Burn, a young state representative whose mother’s last-minute petition to support the amendment influenced his vote (which he changed).

Women will continue to fight for equal rights. Today, the wage disparity between men and women continues to impact women’s economic power, and workplace and business transactions are still plagued by gender-based discrimination.

In 1971, Congress designated August 26 as Women’s Equality Day to commemorate the past, present, and future struggles of women.

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DAY OF EQUALITY FOR WOMEN ACTIVITIES

Gratitude to the women in your life

All of us depend on hardworking women, including mothers, grandmothers, partners, sisters, and acquaintances. Take some time today to express gratitude for the physical and emotional labour they perform for others.

Support businesses operated by women

Utilise your purchasing power to aid female entrepreneurs. You can locate a list of women-owned businesses on the website of the Small Business Administration or by contacting your local chamber of commerce.

Sign up to vote

For decades, women and their allies fought for the right to vote. Make sure you’re registered to vote in your community to show respect for their sacrifices.

5 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT WOMEN IN THE ARMY

In the U.S. military, women have held significant non-combat roles in medical and operational positions for a long time, but combat positions were only opened to women in 2013.

In the 1700s and 1800s, especially during the American Civil War, a number of women disguised as males joined the military.

Union contract surgeon Dr. Mary Edwards Walker served as a Confederate prisoner of war and was bestowed the Medal of Honour for her efforts; to this day, she is the only female recipient of the military’s highest honour.

During World War II, over 400,000 women served as nurses, pilots, ambulance drivers, and in other vital support duties.

Women were not always permitted to continue serving if they became expectant, but today all branches of the military provide maternity uniforms for expecting service members.

WOMEN’S EQUALITY DAY DATES