March is officially known as National Women’s Month. This month is meant to honor and inspire all women.
Although women’s rights have come a far way, there are still number of injustices that affect women everywhere. Women all over the world are still paid less than men, living in fear of sexual assault, and paying luxury taxes on feminine products that are almost certainly a necessity.
If you look around at the world right now it is impossible to ignore the fact that society treats women as the second gender. While many women fight for equality, very few will say that we have reached that point.
97% of women in the UK between the ages 18 and 24 have experienced some type of sexual assault, and that statistic is a terrifying reality that women everywhere have to understand and face. It’s why we don’t go on walks alone at night and why we check the backseat of our cars before pulling away.
The bright side of this is that there are strong women everywhere leading the way for young girls who may feel let down by the society that seems to revolve around men.
Below, I’ve picked a few women in the United States who are opening doors for females everywhere by fighting for equality.
Despite how far women have come, we are still facing daily obstacles that make
Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama has a long list of accomplishments. Not only was she extremely active during her time as First Lady of the White House, but she also continues to break barriers even now that she is no longer in office.
While in office, Michelle Obama focused heavily on health and child obesity in America. In 2010, she began her program, “Let’s Move!” which attempted to improve health habits in children in order to put a stop to childhood obesity in America.
This program improved the nutrients of school lunches, educated classrooms about their health, and removed sugary food from vending machines all across America.
Outside of fighting child obesity, she is consistently advocating for women’s rights and equality. She also spent her time as First Lady trying to continue to boost education opportunities for women in all fields.
Stacey Abrams
After running for governor of Georgia in 2018 and serving as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives, Stacey Abrams founded Fair Fight. Fair Fight is an organization in Georgia that has helped to register over 800,000 new voters.
Many of these new voters were Black females who had previously chosen not to vote. Abrams focused on reminding everyone of their impact, and her impact on Georgians was large enough that she could potentially have shifted the results of the state election.
Regardless, Stacey Abrams has become a powerful name in politics not only because of her career as a politician, but because she has now spent many years of her life dedicated to getting more people to vote.
Just being a woman in politics is empowering for many young girls, but to have such a large impact on others and spend so much time and effort on giving other women a voice, Stacey Abrams is definitely someone to recognize during Women’s History Month.
“We must cease being participate in our own suppression.”
Stacey Abrams
The United States Women’s National Soccer Team
As the highest ranked National Women’s Soccer team, the USWNT is well known for their success on the field and their advocacy for Women’s rights off of it.
In March 2019, the team filed a lawsuit against US Soccer over the unequal treatment and pay they were receiving in comparison to the men’s team.
With so many stigmas around women in sports, it is a huge deal that these players are showing everyone in the world that female sports can bring in just as many viewers and as much revenue as male sports.
The USWNT brought in more money in both ticket sales and merchandise in 2019 and yet were still paid significantly less than their male counterparts.
The battle for gender equality and equal pay is still going on and these players are still leading the fight.
Earlier this month, Megan Rapinoe, a star player on the team, appeared at Capital Hill to continue advancing the teams case for equal pay.
“One cannot simply outperform inequality or be excellent enough to escape discrimination of any kind.”
Megan Rapinoe on making less than the Men’s National Team
Her, along with other members of the team are incredible role models for young girls in sports and who simply want more gender equality. Their fight on and off the field shows resilience and is inspiring to many.
Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish has been a household name for several years now. At only 19-years-old, she has been the most streamed female artist for two years now and continues to grow in popularity.
While her music is certainly something to be impressed by, Billie Eilish has also become well known for her style and comments on the way that she dresses and why.
Whether going to perform at a concert or walking the red carpet for the Grammys, Billie is almost always dressed in bold oversized clothing.
When asked about the style choices, she said that she wore baggy clothes because if no one knew what her body looked like, no one could sexualize her.
Honestly, it is sad that she feels that this is the only way to prevent being sexualized. What is inspiring is that she was able to reach the level of fame she is at without needing to change her style at all.
Many young girls are inspired by her dedication to being herself and her huge success in the music business.
The Silence Breakers
The Silence Breakers are a group of women who were some of the first to speak out against sexual harassment in Hollywood.
They were named TIME Person of the Year in 2017, and these women sparked the #metoo movement.
It’s important to recognize the sacrifice these women made when they came out in a very male dominated profession and made accusations towards extremely powerful men.
Their bravery to do so has empowered so many women to continue standing against harassment and because they took the first step, others were able to follow so that they could finally get justice.
During the final few days of Women’s History Month, it’s important to recognize that so many people have made sacrifices and fought for the rights that we have today. Women everywhere are facing daily injustices and changes have yet to be made.
THE WARRIOR WORD 