august 26th is women's equality day

What can you do to help?

Cherish and exercise your right to vote.
Election time forces us to pause from our daily routine and think about what is most important to our future. Which candidate will best represent my values?  Who will think of my particular needs and situation when making decisions?  How do I balance my personal “wants” with what is best for the community, the country, and the world? The right to vote remains the primary way that individual citizens participate in America’s democratic government.

This election year, we urge you to register to vote and to vote for candidates who care most about women’s equality. Encourage your friends and family members to vote. You can obtain voter registration information at the front desk of YWCA Clark County.

In memory of our ancestors.
Prior to 1920, women were excluded from the voting rights that many men held for 144 years. That was a time in our history when women could not own property, could not establish credit, did not have the right to their children, and had no voice in changing the laws. Women suffragists spent 72 years writing articles, lobbying politicians, marching in demonstrations, practicing civil disobedience, and battling through fierce resistance to their cause, all with the dream of changing the American Constitution to include women in the democratic process. They succeeded in August of 1920 with the passage of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote in all elections. August 26th is Women’s Equality Day: a reminder and celebration of the passage of the 19th Amendment so that we never take our right to vote for granted.

Why is the vote so important for women’s issues?
Change happens slowly and the struggle for women’s equality continues today. In the 1960’s Congress introduced anti-discrimination employment laws promising to provide equal employment protection for women. Almost 50 years later, the wage gap remains with women generally earning 23% less than men for jobs with comparable work. This past year, in a 5-4 decision, the United States Supreme Court voted to reverse years of progress in combating wage discrimination by limiting the ability of employees to bring wage discrimination claims against employers. In response, the House passed the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (H.R. 2831), but the Senate voted to not address the issue, which means that the Supreme Court ruling continues to guide employer actions.

But economic injustice for women goes far beyond the paycheck. Health care is less available in jobs most often held by women and, because of their lower wages, fewer women can afford the co-payments and deductibles even when health coverage is available. Women are generally responsible for childcare and are more likely to be a single parent, thus increasing childcare financial burdens.  Because women tend to live longer than men, they depend more on social security. But lower wages during working years means lower payments in retirement. So many women depend on survivor benefits which is why women are more than 10 times as likely as men to receive benefits as spouses or widows, disabled, or deceased workers, which puts women at a much higher risk when Social Security is threatened. Finally, sexual assault and domestic violence victims, who are disproportionately women, face additional economic burdens that remain behind the scenes of media headlines. (Read Anne's story at the end of this article to learn more about the hidden costs of rape.)

So what can I do to improve economic justice for women?
As we remember the suffragists and celebrate 68 years of a woman’s right to vote, we simultaneously ask the question: with 51% of the population being female, why do we continue to experience and tolerate economic injustice in America? 

More women than men are registered to vote and a higher percentage of women than men vote. (1) Research shows that voting is a habit. People who vote have a pattern of voting. (2) Regular voters are members of a social networks, have friends, co-workers, family members, and neighbors who also vote regularly. However, only 35% of the registered voters in Clark County participated in their right to vote during the primaries on Tuesday, August 19. (3)    

An important strategy for eliminating economic injustice and protecting hard-fought gains on issues important to women is for women to continue to grow their voting power and to get women more involved in the political process. As long as women voice their concern, participate in the voting process, and vote for the candidates who support equality, their political influence increases and politicians are forced to respond to the interests of women voters.

Of course, this means that women need to be more aware of the issues, especially those that don’t make the headlines, and to understand the positions of the candidates running for office. The YWCA Clark County and the National YWCA websites are great resources for learning more about political issues impacting women.  Women who vote need to actively address areas of economic injustice. Our ancestors knew that the right to vote empowered women and that remains true today.

It’s not just about women.
Remember that “women’s issues” are never simply about women; they are about families, communities and shaping future generations. Our celebration may be in memory of women gaining the right to vote, but economic injustice of women should not remain a gender issue. Many men have joined in the dream of empowering their wives, daughters, friends, and colleagues so that life is better for all families. Without men as partners, the dream of the 19th Amendment would never have come true. Without men as partners, the laws restricting women from owning property, obtaining credit, or having the right to raise their children would never have changed. Without men as partners, we will never achieve the goals in the Preamble to the Constitution:  We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Anne’s Story:  Is This Justice?

 “Anne” bravely came forward to report a sexual assault by an acquaintance. She went to the hospital and took two days off work to recover from the physical aftermath of the attack. Anne continued to miss several more days of work due to police interviews and a doctor’s visit to address her sleep and anxiety problems. Anne negotiated with her landlord to get extra security measures for her apartment since the rapist knew where she lived and made threats in an attempt to keep her silent. When she spotted her rapist’s car near her workplace, she became even more anxious and was barely able to greet customers at her retail job. Her manager warned that she had one week to “pull herself together” or else. She was reassigned to an evening shift despite having seniority and an agreement to work only days because of her need to pick her daughter up from daycare. Anne’s anxiety worsened. She no longer trusted her employer and wished she had never told them about the rape. She began to see a counselor to help deal with her fears and anxiety and missed more work days. It was then that Anne was laid off from her job due to “work-force reduction.”  Anne is now facing complete economic insecurity. She plans on moving in with her mother and will sleep on the living room couch with her daughter until she can find another job. Still, the trial lies ahead with more unpredictable time demands and likely delays in the criminal justice system. Her assailant has not yet been arrested so she lives in fear, constantly looking over her shoulder.

Find out more!

• To learn more about Women’s Equality Day, check out the National Women’s History Project website
• To learn more about your elected officials and what actions you can take, subscribe to the National YWAct newsletter
• To learn more about the history of voting rights, check out the National YWCA Voting Rights fact sheet

References:
(1)  Center for American Women and Politics, 2004.
(2)  Gerber, Green, and Shachar, 2003.
(3)  Columbian Newspaper, August 21, 2008