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Recognizing
Women's History
Around 70 years later, a group of women formed an education task force in Sonoma County, California, to bring attention to the fact that women’s history was not being included in K-12 school curriculums. On March 8, 1978, the group kicked off Women's History Week. After women's organizations campaigned for recognition, in 1980, President Jimmy Carter declared the week of March 8 Women's History Week nationwide. By 1986, 14 states had named the entire month of March Women's History Month, according to the National Women’s History Alliance. In March 1987, years of lobbying paid off when Congress legally declared March Women's History Month to honor the contributions of women in history, culture and society.
International Women's Day
First celebrated on March 19, 1911,
International Women’s Day was inspired by National Women’s Day, which was organized by the Socialist Party of America and observed on February 28, 1909, in New York City when thousands of women marched in Manhattan demanding equal pay and safer working conditions. By 1911, it had expanded to an international celebration that spread through Europe as part of the socialist movement. In 1913, March 8 was named the permanent annual date
for the observation of International Women’s Day.
A Worldwide Celebration
It’s hard to imagine now, but until Congress passed the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974, women were not allowed to get credit in their own name. Today, a gender pay gap persists, with women earning only 84 cents for every dollar a man makes, according to a January 2024 National Women’s Law Center report. While inequality and sexism are still very much alive, women have made great strides in spite of them. For example, women make up 29% of Congress, more women are earning college degrees than men (59% vs. 50%), women make up 58% of the labor force and 42% of all businesses are currently owned and run by women.
The Struggle
and the Opportunity
To show your support of Women's History Month, download a virtual meeting background at:
Littler Celebrates Women's History Month - 2024 | Littler Mendelson P.C.
Why Do We Recognize Women’s History Month?
Here’s why we celebrate
Women’s History Month
and everything you need
to know about it.
The first Women’s History Day took place
February 28, 1909, in New York City.
It commemorated the one-year anniversary of
the garment workers’ strikes when 15,000 immigrant women marched through lower Manhattan to protest their unsafe working conditions and unfair pay. Most of them were teens who worked 12-hour days. In one factory, employees were reportedly only paid $15 a week. When a factory burned down and 145 workers were killed two years later, it forced lawmakers to finally pass legislation to protect factory workers.
Early Beginnings
In December 2020, legislation was passed establishing the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum. While a site is being selected for the museum in Washington, D.C., the museum is offering online programs to advance its mission to make women’s history more visible. The museum’s newest interactive, digital exhibition “Becoming Visible” highlights how women’s histories have been recorded, remembered and recovered to create a more accurate and inclusive record of American history.
A Long
Overdue Recognition
Women’s History Month is recognized throughout the world. It is celebrated during March in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. In Canada, Women’s History Month began in 1992 and is celebrated in October to coincide with the Persons Case, which established that Canadian women have the same right as men to serve in positions of political power. Women's History Month was first celebrated in Australia in 2000. Events are also held in China, Germany, Japan, Russia, Ukraine and African nations.
Since 1987, the National Women's History Alliance has selected an annual theme for Women’s History Month. The 2024 theme – “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion” – recognizes women, past and present, who work to eradicate inequality and discrimination from our society, institutions and workplaces. Throughout history, courageous women have stood up for equality and inclusion – from Sojourner Truth, a slave turned abolitionist who dedicated her life to women’s rights and gender equality, to Malala Yousafzai, a 17-year-old Pakistani who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 for bringing global attention to the Taliban’s policy of banning girls from education. This year’s theme honors women like them around the world who advocate for change and legislation to advance equality and fairness in the face of discrimination, exploitation and marginalization.
Advocating for Equity,
Diversity and Inclusion
