Today, August 26, 2009, is Women’s Equality Day as proclaimed by President Obama. It is a day that recognizes the huge accomplishments by women in this country, from voting rights to equal pay – hard won achievements that cross racial barriers and socio-economic boundaries. It also reminds us that our work in securing equality is not yet finished.
As a Baby Boomer, I’ve seen and been part of immense change in this country. We were the generation after Eisenhower’s post-WWII society, no longer content to aspire to the tidy image of pretty housewives vacuuming while wearing high heels and pearls, waiting for our husbands to come home. We broke the molds of education and employment, busting down barriers by demanding access to “male only” jobs and schools and clubs. We took our cases to the Supreme Court to get justice on issues like compensation, sexual harassment, and child-care leave. We changed how people think about generals and soldiers, corporate presidents and presidential candidates. We helped open doors to boardrooms and washrooms in every community, giving choices to young women of today who will never truly understand these ancient tribal rituals but now enjoy social norms that breathe fairness and openness so that women can excel in ways we might only have imagined.
However, for all the achievements, there remains inequity in the heart and soul of every woman: healthcare. Too many women remain in bad jobs or bad marriages because they cannot afford healthcare alone or because they will lose their rights to the same benefits if they break away to be on their own. For them, equality means they and their children should have access to the standard of care available in this country. It means that they are respected when talking to medical professionals about their concerns even though they may not understand the medical lingo. Equality in health means equal access to resources that help a mother feed her family healthily so that they reduce the need for medical treatment. Equality in healthcare means a woman’s voice carries the same impact as a man’s in the debate about costs, concerns and care.
The decisions we make today about legislation on health reform will impact generations for years to come. Yes, our children will live with the price of our choices. Now, however, it is as crucial that we hear the voice of women from all sectors of our society, from women speaking for their children, from women who – like the pretty little housewife on black and white TVs – wanted only one thing: the chance to make a better life for herself and her family.
On this Day of Equality, I think about women who can’t read this article because they can’t access a computer. I wonder about women who have poor health care options because they earn too much but not enough, falling into the cracks of the system. And, I pray for children whose safety is compromised because their mothers are stuck, unable to find a way out.
Make this day a celebration of all the achievements in equality that have brought us so far and decide how you can carry the work forward. For more information and to help celebrate Women’s Equality Day, go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Presidential-Proclamation-Womens-Equality-Day-2009/