#PressforProgress

Happy International Women's Day!

Every year on March 8th, women and men across the globe are invited to celebrate women's achievements throughout history. It is also a call-to-action where each new year brings a different theme for progress. This year's #PressforProgress calls for gender parity (equality between men and women), especially after the findings of the World Economic Forum's 2017 Global Gender Gap Report. It is evidenced that (although women are closing the gap) there is a deficit in female leaders in senior and management levels and closing this gap needs to be accelerated.

In reflecting on the origin of International Women's Day and thinking about the struggle that women of the past (and present) endure(d), I can't help but be amazed at their strength and courage in fighting for their rights. Here are a few quotes from some inspirational women who fought for equal rights. I hope that their words encourage you to gain the confidence you need to identify inequality and to speak up for yourself. These women did, and look at all that we enjoy as a result of speaking up.

Lily Ledbetter worked as a manager at Goodyear. In 1996, she was given the top performance award for her record at work. But she was stunned to learn she was getting paid 40 percent less than her male coworkers. In 2003, she took her case to federal court. The case made its way to the SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States), where the court ruled in favor of Goodyear, saying she'd missed the timeframe during which she could file a discrimination suite. In 2009, President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, allowing employees to sue up to 180 days after receiving a discriminatory paycheck.

Margaret Sanger is an American birth control activist, sex educator, writer, nurse, and the first to open a Birth Control Clinic in the USA. Sanger felt that in order for women to have a more equal footing in society and to lead healthier lives, they needed to be able to determine when to bear children. She also wanted to prevent "back-alley abortions" which were common at the time because abortions were illegal in the United States. She encouraged the use of birth control as a way to avoid abortions. Due to her "outlandish" ideas, she was prosecuted under the Comstock Act in 1914, but fled to Britain until it was safe to return. Thanks to her, birth control is easily accessible to those who need it and has become common in the household.

Marlene Dietrich is a Hollywood actress who received criticism for her love of wearing trousers and men's suits in a time where it was considered scandalous to do so [someone call Olivia Pope]. She was once almost arrested for wearing pants in public in the 1930s. How amazing is it to have pants normalized enough for women to wear daily?

I'm sure you have heard of Oprah! Motivated by the unequal pay she received in the start of her broadcasting career, Oprah set out to start her own television show and from there built an empire catering to helping women grow, develop and thrive. She showed the world that she was not going to let the system put her down. Instead, she took matters into her own hands.

We can't talk about fighting for equal rights without talking about Malala Yousafzai. Malala is a Pakistani activist for female education. In 2012, the Taliban had attempted to murder her due to her encouragement of female education. The murder attempt sparked international outcry. Since then, Malala has gained momentum in fighting for equal educational opportunity despite gender.

I continue to be astonished at the idea that even though we are in 2018, women still do not have equal grounding as men in many areas. Though this is a work in progress and the Global Gap Report predicts parity to be achieved in 200 years, this doesn't mean that we can't speed up the process. I hope these women have inspired you to speak up against injustice (big or small) and have sparked a flame in you that strives to keep their momentum going.

If you would like to learn more about International Women's Day, you can visit their website here: International Women's Day and see what you can do to get involved.