Throughout history, women have been put down and undermined. Their achievements have always been, unfortunately, swept under the rug. Whether a woman has founded a cure to a deadly disease or discovered a new species, she may never earn the recognition she deserves.
In today’s society, it is not often that we dedicate our time to celebrate what women have accomplished for all of us. We are glad to have this month dedicated to women’s history because what a perfect time for us to honor the women on Earth! Today, let's take a step back and look at what some of the accomplishments women have made throughout history.
Women's rights have been fought and defended for even before Christ was implemented. Actually, Agnodice, a woman, was one of the first known gynecologists in 400 BC, Greece. She practiced medicine in her motherland in a time where women were not allowed to. You wouldn’t guess what the main consequence was if they dared to try pursuing these fields. They were given the DEATH PENALTY! Most women couldn’t pursue medicine because of this monstrosity. When she was caught, she was, fortunately, vindicated after her patient came to her defense. She then was allowed to continue pursuing as she wished. As she should.
Education for women was very scarce, especially with the imposing gender roles being put on them every day.
But this didn't stop the infamous Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz from defending women's rights to education in Mexico 1691! She studied secular texts as an amazing writer and a nun at this time but was heavily criticized for it. That didn’t stop her though and she has written amazing texts during her time. She was so iconic, her face even landed on today’s Mexican currency! She once proclaimed “one can perfectly well philosophize while cooking supper”, saying that women can do more than simply stay in the kitchen. What a national icon.
Let’s fast forward to the 1900's, a great time for women as this really jump-started the women's rights movement. But, before then, in 1911, a Japanese editor named Raichō Hiratsuka established the first ever all women-run literary journal Seitō. As a writer, editor, and political activist all in one, she challenged women's traditional roles in-\on the home, that they can be more than simple housewives. In addition to that, in one of the magazine's inaugural issues, she emboldens women to “reveal the genius hidden within us!”. And she definitely did that.
Even as recent as 2016, women are still tackling misogyny with child marriage laws across the globe. For those who are unaware, in certain parts of the world, it was legal for a female child to marry. Almost all the time, young girls were forced to marry older men in an arranged marriage.
How would you feel if you were forced to marry someone you didn’t want to at an extremely young age? It most definitely wouldn’t be fair.
Fueled by their knowledge of their own self worth and rights, two women of Zimbabwe arose to take down marriage laws. Former child brides Loveness Mudzuru and Ruvimbo Tsopodzi made history in 2016 when Zimbabwe’s Constitutional Court ruled in their favor, stating that nobody in the country may enter into marriage, including customary law unions, before the age of 18. This just shows that not only are adult women incredible, the children are too.
While we celebrate the women of the past, we should continue to celebrate the women in our lives today! A prime example of this are the women at our school who've done a lot for our school.
We asked one of our very own teachers Ms. Ballard some questions about Women's History Month to see what she had to say about it. She celebrates this month by “recognizing the successes of women of all races and ethnicity.” And when asked if she could meet and talk to a woman that has influenced her the most and who it would be, she had this to say: “There is no one single woman that I can point to that has influenced me the most. It would be more of a combination of several women each being an influencer for different reasons. Actress Diahann Carrol for her elegance and grace, my English teacher Mrs. McNeely for her caring, my mother for her strength, and Vice President Kamala Harris for what she has achieved.” Ms. Ballard also said “Being a woman comes with responsibility. We have a responsibility to teach our younger women to respect themselves and in turn receive respect from others. Also as a woman, it is okay to be feminine and strong at the same time,” when being asked what it means to be a woman.
To sum it all up, let's appreciate all the women in our lives for everything they do. If you’ve read this far, it is no question that women are incredibly strong for conquering so much and speaking their mind all the while the laws and social norms were against them. All women are amazing in their own right, no matter the shape, color, belief, or origin. Let's all as a collective reflect back on what all women have accomplished for this country, the entire world, as they are the ones making it go ‘round.