Radio Commentary
March is Women’s History Month,
saluting the gender that helped found the nation as wives, mothers, teachers,
reformers, workers, soldiers, pioneers, and volunteers.
In a proclamation, the state
department of education cited the critical roles females have played in the
labor force in and outside the home, and as elected officials.
Equally important, females have
provided the majority of the nation’s volunteer force as well. And they have
led at the forefront of every major progressive social change movement. Think
about that.
Our country has reached an
admirable point where women are considered equals in the workforce, the home,
the government, and the professions.
We still have ground to gain before
full equality is achieved in terms of salaries and working conditions, but we
have made great strides in a few short decades.
Elections overseas remind us that
this is not the case everywhere. Women are able to vote in Iraq and
Afghanistan, but they are unable to do so in Saudi Arabia, where they are still
banned from driving cars.
We know other societies are even
harsher on their women.
The current California history and social
science framework for public schools urges that our curriculum reflect the
experiences of both genders in the history of our country.
Proclaiming this month as Women’s
History Month is one effort to do so. It also provides a good opportunity to
explore the role of gender in a global context.
