Women Equality Day 2021: We are celebrating Women’s Equality Day on August 26. While the origin of this day hails from the constitution of the United States, the essence of Women’s Equality is dispersed all around the globe.
The United States Congress established August 26 as “Women’s Equality Day” in 1971, at the request of Rep. Bella Abzug, and it was approved in 1973. It is declared by the President of the United States every year. President Richard Nixon issued the first official proclamation.
This is also called gender equality day as it observes equal rights for both genders. For years, women faced stigma, stereotypes, and violence. Women Equality day calls for an equal future free of discrimination based on gender and gives them equal rights and opportunities.
In the U.S., decisions about who could vote were left up to the states. The 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, ensures voting rights for everyone regardless of gender. Today, Women’s Equality Day celebrates the achievements of women’s rights activists and reminds us of the unique daily struggles that women face.
Women Equality Day 2021: Theme
The theme of Women’s Equality Day 2021 has not been announced yet.
WHEN IS WOMEN’S EQUALITY DAY 2021?
The continuous struggle for women’s participation and equality in all spheres of life and society is observed on Women’s Equality Day on August 26.
Why Women’s Equality Day Celebrated
Well, to get gender equality, both genders should get equal opportunities in every box of Life. From getting equal opportunities of education to equality in the profession. The graph should be straight in every field.
In the early 1900s the US didn’t have the right for women to vote. But later an amendment was made in the US constitution to provide the equal right of vote to women. August 26 commemorate the 1920 adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment (Amendment XIX) to the United States Constitution, which prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of gender.
The day was first celebrated in 1971 and later in 1973, Congress designated the day and since then every year Women’s Equality day is proclaimed each year by the United States President.
Women’s Equality Day History and Significance
In 1920, on August 26, Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby signed a proclamation granting the women of the USA the constitutional right to vote. Ater in the year 1971, there were many nationwide Women’s Strike for Equality which continued in 1973 for the Equal Rights Amendment. Following the incidents and public strikes, Congresswoman Bella Abzug of New York introduced a resolution to designate August 26 as Women’s Equality Day.
On the same day, President Nixon of the USA also issued Proclamation 4236 for Women’s Equality Day. Few of the citations from the proclamation read, “The struggle for women’s suffrage, however, was only the first step toward full and equal participation of women in our Nation’s life. In recent years, we have made other giant strides by attacking sex discrimination through our laws and by paving new avenues to equal economic opportunity for women. Today, in virtually every sector of our society, women are making important contributions to the quality of American life. And yet, much still remains to be done”.
Since that year, every president of the USA has issued a proclamation designating August 26 as Women’s Equality Day. On August 25, 2016, USA President Obama’s Proclamation read in his proclamation: “Today, as we celebrate the anniversary of this hard-won achievement and pay tribute to the trailblazers and suffragists who moved us closer to a more just and prosperous future, we resolve to protect this constitutional right and pledge to continue fighting for equality for women and girls”.
Significance of Women’s Equality Day:
In 1920, the day stood for the result of 72 years of campaigning by a massive civil rights movement for women. Before actions like these, even respected thinkers such as Rousseau and Kant believed that women’s inferior status in society was wholly sensible and reasonable; women were only ‘beautiful’ and ‘not fit for serious employment.’
In today’s era, women’s equality has grown much more than just sharing the right to vote. Organizations such as Equality Now and Womankind Worldwide continue to provide women across the world with equal opportunities to education and employment, pushing in contrast to suppression and violence towards women and the discrimination and stereotyping which still occur in every society.
