A Year of Blogging: August 26, 2011

August 26 is 'Women's Equality Day'. This day commemorates the passing of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution. The 19th Amendment was passed on August 26, 1920. It grants women the right to vote. Women have come a long way. My Grandma Wager was born in 1917. When she was born, women couldn't vote. Whenever I think of that, I am amazed. My mother tells of having to wear skirts or dresses every day to school, they even had special skirts for gym class. I was born in the 1970s, when women were fighting for equal rights and equal pay. My sister and I were always told we could be anything we wanted to be. My Grandmother wasn't told that, and I doubt my mother was. Yet we still have a long way to go. Men are still making more, although the gap is getting more narrow. If women are aggressive in the workforce they are considered bitches. If they try to balance motherhood and a career they are accused of wanting it all. We are not equal, but we are a lot closer than we have ever been. My hope is that by the time Sydney is an adult, we will be equal. There will be no more 'firsts' for women: it won't be so unique for women to do something. The borders will have been knocked down. People will be judged based on their character, not their gender.