What Does Women’s History Month Mean To Me?

Photo+by+Giacomo+Ferroni+for+Unsplash

Photo by Giacomo Ferroni for Unsplash

Valeria Hurtado, Staff Writer

Women’s history month for me is very important. It is a month that fills us with pride and reflects all the progress that our ancestors have made. Not only that but also to celebrate what we are currently achieving. I think the best way to do it is by commemorating these accolades, not letting them get lost in the past.

Women are not here to stand up for just one. We are here to fight for all. For those who fought in the past, for those who are fighting in the present, and for those of the future who will continue fighting for us.

It is a month in which women who felt comfortable being uncomfortable are celebrated; those who paved the way for the next generations to be better than theirs.

It is an important time of commemoration for those who shaped and changed society for a better life for all. Within the likes of Louisa May Alcott, Susan B. Anthony, Kamala Harris, Mia Hamm, and many others. They endlessly continue to prove that women are very capable of achieving what was thought to be the impossible.

Many women were very important in the history of this country, but very few are recognized like Anna Arnold Hedgemen or Diane Nash, are not as widely learned about and that is the problem in our reality. 

In a TED Talk by Emily Krichbaum, she talks about the significance of Women’s history not being taught in school. Approximately 10% of women’s history is discussed in history classes and the rest is about men.  60% of that 10% talk about women being less than men. Very rarely there is talk of women who marked history, who were scientists, writers, politicians, etc. This must change, more women should be integrated into the learning system because this would be an example for us. We cannot be what we cannot see. If we saw how far our ancestors have come, we would find inspiration in them and follow in their footsteps. 

If we continue to focus on the part in which women are just housewives (which, by the way, there is nothing wrong with that) we cannot progress. By only teaching us things of that nature, it can make us feel like that is our only purpose. That is why we must learn more from historical women, and not only during this month. I consider that the history of women is for life. We must not only fight for our rights in March, we must fight for them day after day. Because every day is important and we can make changes big or small any time.

This is not about rewriting history, as many people believe. It is simply about expanding it and thus being able to look back in the past at the female figures that marked history. Finding inspiration in them and for that, we must help highlight contributions from women in the past who have often been overlooked. It’s true, women make families, but we also make history and history is very important. The past gives meaning to our lives, it gives us a reason. If we take the time to learn about the women who have come before us, we can continue to push for equality.

Women, in many cases, question whether we are less capable than men. Thanks to the fact that from our youth, we are taught that men are more capable than us, leading us to think that we are weaker. For example, when women are little, girls share dolls, kitchen sets, etc., but people give boys war games, race cars, among others. This shows us from a young age that boys do the heavy work and girls have to stay at home. Growing up I felt useless, but as I’ve matured, I realize I can do whatever I put my mind to. 

Before wanting to change the world, women must begin by changing themselves. If what we seek is equality with men, that equality must be fair, not only when it suits us. As is currently happening in Ukraine, women and children can flee the country, and men aged 18-60 are prohibited from doing so because of the martial law set in place by the Ukrainian government. Most women leave without looking back, but where is the equality that we seek so much?

It is time to realize that if we women seek equality, we must act fairly and accept equality in every way, not just when it suits us. If we women would stop focusing and getting upset about what we suffered yesterday and concentrate on our achievements, we will be able to fight and improve ourselves for a better tomorrow.