History and Herstory
They say well-behaved women rarely make history. Most of the time, those that say that are right. They make Herstory. March signifies Women’s History Month, a celebration of the contributions women of all colors and walks of life have made to society and culture. In a world where misogyny often is supported by an infrastructure that it society and culture, it is often missed how significant and important gender equality is to the progression of humanity.
History and Herstory will never forget the 45th President of the United States supported misogyny and the oppression of women. History and Herstory will never forget that it is 2021 and equal pay among men and women is still not set. According to a 2018 article from the Business Insider, “a woman working full time earned 81.6 cents for every dollar a man working full time earned on average. Additionally, women’s median annual earnings were $9,766 less than men’s, according to the most recent available data from the US Census Bureau.” That does not even begin to be broken down by other factors, including race, class, education status, etc.
History and Herstory would be remised if it were not to acknowledge Kamala Harris becoming the first woman, and first woman of color to become Vice-President. This significance comes with a magnitude that will not even begin to be felt for many generations to come. The fruits sewn by this labor will flourish one day to create a society and culture where equality and equity among the gender pay gap would actually be obtained.
Many have tried, and continue to try, to minimalize the feat of being the first or only woman to accomplish something. Many have tried, and continue to try, to minimalize the efforts being taken to level the field for opportunities for women and girls. One shouldn’t have to be the father of a daughter, or the husband of a wife, or a brother of a sister, to value the presence of women. In a world where gas lighting, sexual harassment, and belittling can be masked as horrible attempts at support for gender equality, women and girls many times have to work twice as hard to even be in the room let alone being heard in the room.
Scholars and writers alike each take their own stance on where gender equality is today. Though women represent nearly more than half of the workforce, they are vastly underrepresented at the manager and C-Suite level across various disciplines, from manufacturing, cybersecurity, business, politics, education, and television and film. Why is that? If there are more women in the workforce today than there ever have been before, why is there such a shortage of female leaders and managers? What does a lack thereof say about the work we have to do when it comes to gender equality?
Women, and men, each and every day work hard to advocate for the basic human rights denied to women, such as the right to have an abortion, the right to have health insurance cover contraception, the right to have health insurance cover maternity leave without the risk of losing one’s job. Society and culture is really at the epicenter of its own demise regarding sexism, misogyny, and disfranchisement against women and girls because society refuses to acknowledge women and men are fundamentally different. Women feel the pressure to conform and assimilate into unrealistic expectations that men don’t. Women feel the social and cultural resistance that the infrastructure that is ‘history’, built and supported by the buttresses of misogyny and privilege, continues to hold true.
That is why Women’s History Month is celebrated and commemorated!
