March is Women’s History Month in the United States and despite the huge amount of progress made in the last century, women every day still face a lot of sexism and fear in their lives due to the way some people treat them. As a woman myself, the world isn’t always kind, but there are many ways you–and anyone–can help empower the women and even the young girls in your life.
- Validate them and their experiences
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Oftentimes, we just need validation for what’s going on in our lives. Just like everyone else, we need validation that what we’re experiencing is or isn’t okay. As women, we are exposed at a young age to the idea that there are people out in the world who have a distaste for us simply because we’re women and we need to protect ourselves. If a woman in your life comes to you about a bad experience inflicted by someone for being a woman, validate them. Tell them it’s not right. Don’t disregard what they’re telling you. We get a lot of that already, and a supportive shoulder to lean on helps tremendously.
- Appreciate the women in your life
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Much like validating, appreciating us is a great thing to do for women. Appreciate your female siblings, mother or mother figures, friends, teachers, etc. They do so much for the people in our lives, so take a moment to thank and appreciate everything they do.
- Advocate for equal pay
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This is more related to jobs, but according to PayScale, as of 2020, under the uncontrolled gender pay gap, which means median salary for all men and women, women are paid less than men, earning 81 cents for every dollar a man earns. Under the controlled gender pay gap, meaning median salary for men and women with the same jobs and qualifications, women only earn 98 cents for every dollar a man earns. This isn’t right! Women should be paid equally for the same job a man is doing, so if you see this discrepancy in your workplace, advocate for these women. In the 21st century, there shouldn’t be a gender wage gap. Especially advocate for women of color, as they face an even larger wage gap than white women.
- Join organizations
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I would encourage joining different organizations to help fight the injustice. Stand up for the women in your life, encourage them to attend a women’s march, and join them yourself if you choose. All of these make a difference.
There’s a whole lot more you can do, but these are a really good start. Everyone is important in their own ways, but as it is Women’s History Month, sometimes you need to take the time to appreciate the women in your life, not just for the month of March, but all the time.