Today is Women's Equality Day and marks the 106th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. This important day celebrates the achievements of women's rights activists (including my great-grandmother who marched for women's suffrage in upstate New York in the early 1900's) and reminds us of the struggles that women continue to face. Some of these struggles include the lack of equal pay for equal work; gender stereotypes, unconscious bias, and lack of mentorship opportunities in the workplace; a higher risk of sexual harassment in the workplace; under-representation in leadership positions; gender bias in hiring and promotions; and the impact of the motherhood penalty.
According to the National Women's History Alliance, "At the behest of Representative Bella Abzug (D-NY), in 1971, the United States Congress designated August 26th as "Women's Equality Day." The date was selected to commemorate the 1920 certification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote. This was the culmination of a massive, peaceful civil rights movement by women that had its formal beginnings in 1848 at the world's first women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York. The observance of Women's Equality Day not only commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment, but also calls attention to women's continuing efforts toward full equality."
In previous years, I've interviewed inspiring women on this date, however, this year, I thought I would provide a different type of post. Instead, I've featured my ten favorite quotes about women and by women below. I hope they also inspire you!
RUTH BADER GINSBURG:
Women belong in all places where decisions are being made.
SHERYL SANDBERG:
We stand on the shoulders of the women who came before us, women who had to fight for the rights that we now take for granted.
SHIRLEY CHISHOLM:
If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON:
We still have not shattered that highest and hardest glass ceiling. But some day, someone will.
MADELEINE ALBRIGHT:
There is a special place in hell for women who don't support other women.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA:
We must carry forward the work of the women who came before us and ensure our daughters have no limits on their dreams, no obstacles to their achievements, and no remaining ceilings to shatter.
GLORIA STEINEM:
Don't think about making women fit the world, think about making the world fit women.
MICHELLE REDFERN:
All leaders in an organization must consider closing the leadership gender gap as a business priority.
SHERYL SANDBERG:
Next time you call a girl "BOSSY," say instead: she has executive leadership skills.
ACTRESS PRIYANKA CHOPRA'S FATHER:
Don't try to squeeze into a glass slipper. Instead, shatter the glass ceiling.
Lastly, I recently received an email from the National Women's History Museum in Washington, D.C., with this quote, "One day, I want to look at Congress, boardrooms, and history books, and not have to count the women, because there will be just as many as men."
What will you do today to celebrate Women's Equality Day?
Image Credits: The Walt Disney Company via Reddit and Sanchita Dhali via LinkedIn.
