August 26th is Women’s Equality Day. The day marks the anniversary of the 1920 passing of the 19th amendment which granted women the right to vote. The date was officially marked as Women’s Equality Day by Congress in 1971.
In 2022, this day comes on the heels of a lot of conversation around Constitutional rights for women following the reversal of Roe v. Wade. That conversation has me thinking a lot about two things—The Equal Rights Amendment and the importance of voting. Before I go further, I want to acknowledge that these may be topics that fall into the “political” bucket that we often avoid due to the often unproductive conversation that results. My intent is not to judge, criticize or blame, but rather to highlight these areas so Women’s Equality Day doesn’t pass this year as a quickly brushed over proclamation by the President and an Instagram post.
First,
The Equal Rights Amendment
If you aren’t well-studied in the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), here’s the best quick “explainer” I have found (and needed myself!) from Equality Now.
To simplify it even further:
“The ERA is a very simple amendment putting protection for women directly into the United States Constitution.”
The ERA would “provide permanent protection against laws that discriminate on the basis of sex and/or gender.”
“94 percent of people in the United States would support an amendment enshrining gender equality into the Constitution.”
Despite its support, this amendment has been waiting for ratification for fifty years since it was passed by the Senate in 1972, which itself was already a long wait after being initially introduced in 1923. So, ONE HUNDRED YEARS LATER, we’re still waiting. Currently, a joint resolution to remove the ratification time limit is awaiting a vote in the Senate after being passed by the House in March of 2021.
Which brings me to…
The Importance of Voting
Over 100 years since the passing of the 19th Amendment (again, the reason we celebrate Women’s Equality Day!) the right to vote may feel like something we take for granted. Interestingly, this was something that Susan B. Anthony had hoped for to an extent—the idea that if “no one would understand why women worked so hard to gain the right to vote” it would be a sign of progress. However—we can’t let that progress stall. We can’t keep waiting.
So, this Women’s Equality Day is my personal reminder or nudge to stay tuned in to the issues that matter to me and to the work we do at Gild Collective. For me personally, that means the Equal Rights Amendment, paid family leave, universal childcare and codifying Roe v. Wade. All of these have a significant impact on equity for women in the workplace and have far reaching impact well beyond. Your issues may be different. They may be in opposition to mine. But together, let’s agree to not let the work of those who came before us be for naught. Let’s vote—because we can.