Washington: To mark the achievements and advancements made by women in various fields, Women’s Equality Day is observed on August 26.
Women have struggled to be accepted as equals in society for decades and have actively protested against gender-based discrimination and fought for equal opportunities in all fields.
In 1920, on this day, the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted, giving women the right to vote. Amendment XIX prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to American citizens on the basis of sex.
History:
Women’s Equality Day is a culmination of years of peaceful protests carried out by women for equal rights in terms of opportunity and social status. The first peaceful protest was conducted at the world’s first Women’s Rights Convention in 1848 in New York state. In 1971, United States Congress Representative Bella Abzug introduced the bill to commemorate August 26 as Women’s Equality Day, following the nation-wide ‘strike for equality’ peaceful protest demonstrated by women to mark the 50th anniversary of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment. In 1973 the United States Congress and Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States formally recognized August 26 as Women’s Equality Day.
Significance:
This day is celebrated to raise awareness of the problems faced by women in society in terms of pay disparity, abortion rights, equal opportunities, gender-based violence, and gender-based discrimination.
