Enlightened and determined women the world over have continued to make several advancements regarding the issue of equality and as it has been proven time and time again, behind every tangible advancement is a great story. This day – specially set aside to celebrate women’s remarkable achievement – has a great backing story.
The demand for equality for women started a long time ago. It started with the first women’s conference held at Seneca Falls, New York in 1848, followed some few years after by thousands of people marching through cities, writing editorials and pamphlets, making speeches, lobbying political organizations and organizing demonstrations towards the goal of women achieving the right to vote.
By 1878, the struggle paid off as the women suffrage amendment was introduced for the first time to the United States Congress. It was not until June 1919 after the amendment had been resubmitted several times that it received approval from the Congress. The next year, the movement worked on lobbying the states to get the amendment ratified. The last state to agree for ratification, Tennessee approved it just by one vote which belonged to Harry Burn who listened to his mother when she asked him to vote ‘yes’ for suffrage.
On August 26, 1920, the amendment was passed into law.
But the demand for equality was only not just about voting so exactly fifty years later, women demanded more.
On a nationwide strike which is still known as the largest protest for gender equality in U.S. history, Betty Friedan and the National Organization for Women (NOW) called on all women to demand for equal opportunities in education and in employment. There were demonstrations and rallies in over 90 major cities, and over 100,000 women actively participated. Although it did not halt all activities, everyone all over the nation started talking about the women’s right movement and the New York Times published its first article for feminism when it reported the acts of women on that day.
It was in the following year that a bill was passed which declared August 26 as Women’s Equality Day serving as a symbol of women’s continued fight for equal rights, however, the constitution still does not have an amendment that explicitly guarantees women equal rights.
All this happened less than a century ago. It was not too long ago that women were not allowed to elect their political officers. It was not too long ago that women were shortchanged because of their gender in education and at work and it is from their history that women all over draw strength and courage knowing that what they demand for is what they truly deserve.
Connect Nigeria celebrates women all over the world. Happy Women’s Equality Day!
Happy Women’s Equality Day
