Women’s Equality Day is celebrated on August 26th each year, to commemorate the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which gave women the right to vote.
The amendment reads:
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.
Although the amendment was introduced in 1878, it was not ratified until 1920. Thirty-eight states are required to ratify an amendment. The first state to ratify was Wisconsin; the last was Tennessee. Maryland challenged the amendment on states’ rights grounds, and did not formally ratify it until 1941 - 21 years after it was adopted.
The 19th amendment did not give all women the right to vote. When it was passed, states were still permitted to implement measures such as poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses to prevent black citizens - including women - from voting (despite the 15th amendment which protected the rights of persons of all races to vote). Black women were not universally able to vote until the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965.
The first Women’s Equality Day was celebrated in 1973. The cultural context was significant. It had been 50 years since the passage of the 19th Amendment. Women were celebrating the right to vote. However, they were fighting against persistent social inequities in employment, healthcare, and childcare.
Statistics reflect that across racial groups, women tend to vote at higher rates than men. It is anticipated that the next election will hold particular significance for the future of “women’s rights,” as key issues will include reproductive rights, women’s healthcare, childcare, parental leave, equal pay laws, and Title IX reform.
- As of 2022, only 9 states offer paid family leave
- Women still make 82 cents for every dollar earned by a man
- There are significant regional differences in women’s representation in government
- There are significant regional differences in laws pertaining to domestic violence
- Since Dobbs overturned the constitutional right to abortion:
The Equal Rights Amendment, which would provide Constitutional protection from gender discrimination, was proposed in 1972 and has not been enacted.