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Roam the hallowed halls of the White House and Congress and you'd see many powerful women, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Senator Hillary Clinton, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, and journalist Helen Thomas.
Enter the offices of major corporations such as PepsiCo, Xerox, Ebay, and Citigroup, and you'll find women sitting at the helm. That's because more major companies than ever before are now headed by women. Of course, women in the United States today wouldn't be in such powerful positions if it weren't for the trailblazing women of yesteryear. To honor the historical achievements of women in U.S. history, March is celebrated as National Women's History Month.
There's Much to Celebrate
U.S. women have come a long way since the nation declared its independence in 1776. At that time, women were second-class citizens. They weren't even allowed to vote! It wasn't until 1920, when Congress signed the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, that women could vote in national elections. Today, women take that right seriously. In the last presidential election, more women than men cast their votes!
Women have come so far in such a short period of time that there's no telling where women will end up in the future, says Molly Murphy MacGregor, the Executive Director of the National Women's History Project. That's why it's important to learn women's history. "The knowledge of women's history provides a more expansive vision of what a woman can do. This. can encourage girls and women to think larger and bolder," she says.
But More to Be Done
Despite the progress of the last century, women still face many challenges in U.S. society and the workplace. For starters, there's the gender wage gap. In 1963, Congress passed the Equal Pay Act to ensure that men and women earn equal pay for equal work. However, studies show that for every dollar that a man earns, a woman earns only 80 cents.
Many studies also show that although girls perform better in math and science in elementary school, they lose confidence in their abilities once they get to middle and high school. Today, only 21 percent of scientists and 11 percent of engineers in the U.S. are women.
There's hope though. Women today are making great strides in math and science. Last month, for the first time in its 40-year history, a woman won the A.M. Turing Award, a top prize in computer science and mathematics. Retired IBM researcher Frances Allen won the prize for her work improving computer programs that translate one computer language to another.
"Some people think girls are not good at science and math. That's nonsense. I taught high school math and lots of girls got As and loved math," Allen told Weekly Reader.
She's excited about what women might achieve in the future: "We've come a long way, ladies, but we're just getting started."
Links
Enter the offices of major corporations such as PepsiCo, Xerox, Ebay, and Citigroup, and you'll find women sitting at the helm. That's because more major companies than ever before are now headed by women. Of course, women in the United States today wouldn't be in such powerful positions if it weren't for the trailblazing women of yesteryear. To honor the historical achievements of women in U.S. history, March is celebrated as National Women's History Month.
There's Much to Celebrate
U.S. women have come a long way since the nation declared its independence in 1776. At that time, women were second-class citizens. They weren't even allowed to vote! It wasn't until 1920, when Congress signed the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, that women could vote in national elections. Today, women take that right seriously. In the last presidential election, more women than men cast their votes!
Women have come so far in such a short period of time that there's no telling where women will end up in the future, says Molly Murphy MacGregor, the Executive Director of the National Women's History Project. That's why it's important to learn women's history. "The knowledge of women's history provides a more expansive vision of what a woman can do. This. can encourage girls and women to think larger and bolder," she says.
But More to Be Done
Despite the progress of the last century, women still face many challenges in U.S. society and the workplace. For starters, there's the gender wage gap. In 1963, Congress passed the Equal Pay Act to ensure that men and women earn equal pay for equal work. However, studies show that for every dollar that a man earns, a woman earns only 80 cents.
Many studies also show that although girls perform better in math and science in elementary school, they lose confidence in their abilities once they get to middle and high school. Today, only 21 percent of scientists and 11 percent of engineers in the U.S. are women.
There's hope though. Women today are making great strides in math and science. Last month, for the first time in its 40-year history, a woman won the A.M. Turing Award, a top prize in computer science and mathematics. Retired IBM researcher Frances Allen won the prize for her work improving computer programs that translate one computer language to another.
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Links
- Learn more about the National Women's History Project
- Visit the National Museum of Women's History
- Read the Congressional Proclamation for Women's History Month
- Become part of the ReaderGurlz community and celebrate gutsy girls in life and literature!
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