“What’s the big deal?” “History is so boring.” “I’m a dance major, what do I need to know about history?” Believe me, I get it; we’ve all been sitting in a history class hearing the same things we hear every year in another US history course. So why is womens history month important?
Let’s talk about feminism, and before you roll your eyes, I know what you’re thinking. You’re not a man-hater. You might prefer traditional roles. You might even think men and women are already equal, but feminism isn’t about hating men; it’s about equality. In fact, many men are feminists. The goal isn’t to replace patriarchy with matriarchy; it’s to create a world where gender doesn’t limit opportunity or expectation for anyone. I’m tired of the hate, and we’re gonna clear some things up. Feminists are not man-haters; in fact, some men are feminists, and not in the way that some women struggle with internalized misogyny. This checks because feminists fight for and believe in equality for ALL genders, and there is already a word for those who believe that women are superior: female chauvinist. You might now be asking, Ally, what does it even mean to fight for all genders? I’m so glad you asked, feminists, love paid maternity leave but also paternity leave, because it really does take a village. We support stay-at-home moms who choose to devote their lives wholly to raising children, as well as stay-at-home fathers. The idea that feminists are rooting against men is an easy agenda to push because of everything women have to fight for, but ultimately, the mission is equality, not matriarchy.
So now you’re convinced, feminists strive for equality, but you like things the traditional way, a man at the head of the house, but is he really? Think about the last movie you watched. Who packed the lunches, organized the schedules, and kept everything running? Probably not the dad. And this isn’t just fiction; in my own life, my mom worked, planned everything, got me where I needed to be, and made the household function. That invisible labor still falls disproportionately on women, and personally, it makes me think about who’s actually the leader. But men and women are already equals, right? wrong. Women are still more likely to experience sexual harassment and assault, more likely to carry the burden of childcare, and underrepresented in leadership roles. Many family law attorneys report that a significant number of women file for divorce due to a lack of support at home. Even when parental leave exists, it’s often unpaid—and disproportionately designed for mothers, not fathers.
Women’s History Month matters because it reminds us that the opportunities we have today were fought for, not given. It honors the women whose names we know, and the countless ones we don’t. It empowers us to become those women and fight because we are not done yet. If you’re a woman in college, you may not think of yourself as a feminist, but you’re standing in a feminist’s footsteps. Let me remind you that the first woman to attend a university and earn a diploma in the United States was Catherine Elizabeth Benson Brewer in 1840. And she didn’t earn a “Mrs. degree,” she earned a bachelor’s in art. It is contradictory to say that you want to become a doctor or work in finance, hating feminism because without it, you would be an assistant for the finance bro. So take this month and reflect on what a woman in the past has done to empower you?
sources:
https://ischool.uw.edu/podcasts/dtctw/first-womans-college-diploma