Every year the month of March marks Women’s History Month to honor the contributions of women across the world. 

It’s a time to reflect on their dedication, hard work, and overcoming numerous obstacles and barriers. 

In the U.S., Women’s History Month first began as Women’s History Week in California in 1978, before spreading across the country. 

In 1980, a consortium of women’s groups and historians lobbied for national recognition and in 1980 President Jimmy Carter declared the week of March 8 as National Women’s History Week. 

And in 1987 Congress passed Public Law 100-9, designating March as “Women’s History Month.”

While we recognize the significance of this month, the history of women in the U.S. is forged with strife. 

Women had to fight hard for the right to vote, which didn’t happen until over 100 years after the Constitution was ratified, and African American woman could not vote until 1965, which was only 61 years ago. 

Women could not have their own credit cards until 1974, and couldn’t wear pants in the Senate until 1993 (only 33 years ago). 

Speaking of the Senate, despite a nearly 50/50 population split, women have been in the minority in nearly all elected positions. Today, there are 124 women in the U.S. House of Representatives (28.5 percent) and 26 in the Senate (about one fourth of the makeup). 

In 2023, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that the gender pay gap had widened for the first time in 20 years. Then, in 2024, it widened again for the second year in a row. Women in the U.S., who work full-time, generally earn 81 cents for every dollar earned by a man. 

The fact that these disparities still exist, in spite of all that women have fought for over the years, should raise the alarms.

It’s time to close the gap.