Unfortunately, even with the dedication of entire sequential months to a celebration of the achievements of African-Americans and women, the imperativeness of these recognitions is still greatly underestimated. We are halfway through March, yet I have heard little mention of Women's History Month in my neighborhood and local schools. We live in a society that still poorly represents women in its culture, and teaches its girls to feel unsafe and insecure merely because of their gender. Girls deserve to be educated about their histories, so they can feel confident and empowered by female role models.
Both men and women still scoff and roll their eyes at feminist movements and celebrations like Women's History Month. They accuse women of wanting to be the same as men (often using the Freudian term penis envy) or have more power than them. But sexism is still alive and well; acquiring the right to vote and hold offices does not mean that women are treated equally and fairly, which is all feminism really asks for. In the words of Winston Churchill, history is written by the victors. A dominating patriarchal society hurts both men and women by confining them to rigid roles, and leaves little room for those who lie outside of the traditional gender binary.
Not only have women been barred from important fields historically, but today many still assume that contributions to society are made mostly by men due to some inherent weakness in women. Sandi Toksgiv, a European writer and producer, reflected on an anthropology course she took while studying at Cambridge. Her female professor noted that a bone etched with 28 markings is considered evidence of man's first creation of a calendar. However, only a woman would find significance in marking 28 days, as it represents the average length of the menstrual cycle. Toksgiv wondered how many other achievements of women she had overlooked in her life. This is a question we should be asking ourselves as well.
It took time for women to be able to be an active and recognized part of politics, art, and science. Women's History Month recognizes women like Rosalind Franklin, whose crucial role in the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA was overlooked in favor of crediting scientists Watson and Crick. It praises women like Rosa Parks, who refused to tolerate the prejudices towards men and women of color. It rallies behind contemporary women like Wendy Davis, who stood in front of a largely male senate for 11 hours to block a bill that would restrict Texan women's reproductive rights. This is not a demand for greater space in the history books than men, but to rewrite the history that has been diminished and concealed, and to tell the stories that are constantly being written by women all over the world every day.
It is no surprise that in a culture that encourages female submission and censorship, as well as male aggression and authority, women can be taken advantage of, abused, and will rarely come forward. This is important to think about as we continue our discussion of the issues of sexual assault on college campuses. When a woman is taught that her body is public property, and that her voice is not always worthy of being heard or trusted, we perpetuate a rape culture that causes many women to suffer in silence.
The story of our country is one of overcoming adversity and fighting for the freedoms we deserve as citizens. We have a come a long way, but are still fighting to be seen as equals regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, or background. We honor the history of women to remember their important role in shaping countries across the globe, and to remind our children to continue to fight for equality and overcome the obstacles of prejudice to fulfill their goals and dreams.
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