Women’s History Month ended with March, but at my home, I celebrate the accomplishments of great women year round.

If you were to stay in my guest bedroom, you would be surrounded by reminders of the 1970’s–1980’s Women’s Movement in this country.  Along with a comfy bed and your own bath, you’d find:

  • A green pin with “59c” printed on it
  • A poster with vertical swatches of different colors looking vaguely like graceful ballerinas
  • A poster of dark blue, black, and  deep bluish purple featuring an African woman in a turban
  • A large book titled To Form a More Perfect Union; subtitled “Justice for American Women”
  • Two small clay figurines–male and female–that judging by their state of undress I take to be Adam and Eve

    • The list goes on, but this representative sampling is enough to stir both my memories and my ire.

    The 59 cents?  That was the amount women earned for every $1 men earned  in 1963.  Now we earn 77 cents…an unimpressive 18 cent gain in 48 years!  Not even half way to the goal!

  • The poster?  A beautiful reminder of the 1977 Houston Women’s Conference entitled “American Women on the Move,” First National Women’s Conference/Sponsored by the United States Commission on the Observance of International Women’s Year.  Now when I look at that poster, I notice that the U.S. was “observing” a year…and that the 26 items in the Plan of Action generated by the conference attendees still require action:equal pay;  affordable and accessible child care;  prevention of domestic violence;  ratification of the Equal Rights amendment;  inclusion of birth control in health care plans.  Yes, some progress has been made. Discrimination in lending   has been largely eliminated; we have Title IX (along with on-going efforts to weaken it);  there’s more work being done using gender based analysis; and there are some laws on prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.  But there is still much work to be done to improve the status of women, such as legislation to provide homemakers with  Social Security benefits, consistent prosecution and adequate punishment for rape crimes; and unisex tables for medical insurance benefits.
  • The gorgeous deep blue/black/purple poster?  It’s entitled “Rasta Queen” advertising the  1980 “Women’s Art from Developing Countries” show held during the International Women’s Year Conference in Copenhagen.   I remember one of the major issues addressed at that conference was the genital mutilation of women.
  • The book?  That was published by our very own government.  It was the “Report of the Observance of International Women’s Year,” 1976.  Like the poster, it’s a reminder to me of more miles to go.
  • The figurines?  Here, at least, is something to smile about!  Cute happy , pudgy shapes with clearly apparent  sexual characteristics. I purchased them from some Latin American women who cared so much about their rights, and those of all women, that they were selling them in Copenhagen to help pay for their attendance at the conference.

    Hooray for women’s optimism, creativity, resourcefulness, talent, persistence!  For being  half the world’s population but taking care of a far greater proportion!  For working at least as hard for (a little more than) half as much!  For continuing to support and empower themselves and others!

    If you need some inspiration to keep up the good work, come visit me!  The inspiring women in my  guest room await you..