Women make up only about 20 percent of Congress and only 12 percent of our governors. Women publish less than 25 percent of op-eds in major newspapers and make up less than half of law firm and accounting firm partners. Women might make up over 50 percent of the work force these days, but that is hardly the equality we’ve been looking for or deserve.
As a woman, I’m all for commemorating the anniversary of the day that women finally got the right to vote through the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. But it’s time to stop calling it “Women’s Equality Day” because the idea of all things being equal for women in this country is laughable.
The presence of three different generations of girls in my life colors how I view this day that many are celebrating. And it’s not a happy color. I was tempted not to write anything about Women’s Equality Day because, in all honesty, I can’t think about it without laughing and crying at the same time.
Equality? We’re not even close.
Women are still fighting to be treated equally and fairly in the workplace when it comes to getting paid sick days and paid family leave for the birth or adoption of a child or to care for other family members. So how do I explain all that to my daughter as she begins exploring colleges and careers?
Joanne Bamberger is the founder of The Broad Side and the author/editor of the award-winning bestseller Love Her, Love Her Not: The Hillary Paradox, a researched anthology that explores our complicated and conflicting feelings about Hillary Clinton.
Image via Wikimedia Commons/in the public domain
