Today, young women are more likely than young men to have a college degree and the number of men and women in the workforce is nearly equal. However, this has not always been the case, and we have some very strong women to thank for their contributions to the women’s rights movement. For this Women’s History Month, let’s take a look back at some of the most notable women in US history.
Mary Mcleod Bethune (1875-1955)
The daughter of former slaves, Bethune made huge strides in politics. She advised President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on interracial relations and minority affairs and advocated for FDR’s New Deal policies to also apply to African Americans. She believed education was the key to racial equality and started a school in Florida, which became one of the first colleges to accept black students.
Sonia Sotomayor (1954- )
Appointed as a federal judge in 1992, Sotomayor was nominated for the U.S. Court of Appeals just five years later. President Obama nominated her to the Supreme Court in 2009, and she became the first Hispanic person and the third woman to serve as a justice. Sotomayor is a role model for girls everywhere, because of her determination and bravery.
Patsy Takemoto Mink (1927-2002)
Mink represented Hawaii as the first Asian-American woman to serve in the US House of Representatives. She also co-sponsored Title IX of the Education Amendments, which barred gender discrimination in both academics and athletics from schools receiving federal funding. Mink helped to greatly increase opportunity for women and girls in sports all over the country.
Alice Paul (1885-1977)
Paul was the lead activist behind the push for women’s suffrage in the 1910s. She was arrested multiple times and even went on hunger strikes in prison for her insistence on women’s rights. Paul helped get the 19th Amendment passed, which gave women the right to vote.
These brave women and their contributions to society have opened the doors for countless other women and girls to advance in politics, academics, and athletics.