Beyond Women’s History Month

In America and abroad, the entire month of March was devoted to increasing consciousness and knowledge of women’s history by remembering the contributions of notable and ordinary women.

There is a fascinating political history behind each year’s celebration of Women’s History Month, which originated in 1911 in Europe as International Women’s Day, held March 8 every year.

In 1978, the Education Task Force of Sonoma County in California began to celebrate a “Women’s History Week.” That was affirmed in 1981, when the U.S. Congress unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution establishing “National Women’s History Week.”

Subsequently, in 1987, the same U.S. Congress expanded the week to a month, whereby the U.S. president has, since then, issued each year – in the month of March – a proclamation of Women’s History Month.

This year, similar to other years, our celebrations appropriately honored the contributions of women who have brought significant policy changes that facilitated gender equity.

Women honored included those who worked indefatigably to improve the environment and struggled against unimaginable odds to achieve professional success in fields where women are underrepresented and effectively advocated to end violence against women.

Now that the month-long celebration has come to an end, it is imperative to move forward by being purposeful about addressing the stumbling blocks that continue to undermine the success of women everywhere.

Toward that end, I recommend two actions each administrator on campus can do to ensure that we not only pay lip service to women during Women’s History month, but that we do our part to empower them for success in ways that bolster the success of our institution.

First, we must actively recognize and respect everyday heroines in our workplaces and communities: the staff persons, who serve as movers and shakers and whose dedication is central to the professional successes of our various institutions and businesses.

They, in fact, include our clerical workers, office managers, administrators, custodians and support staff, all professions which are comprised primarily of women, who are essential to the success of most businesses in our communities.

Yet their contributions are often unheralded, as some of them are sadly deemed unimportant by skeptics and critics.

At IU, the women who comprise the majority of professional and support staff are invariably the unsung and silent heroines for the University’s existence and successes.

They are, for example, the first point of contact for visitors and indeed students who seek admission into our great University. Such visitors also often include parents, who entrust us with the care and education of their children and, in some instances, even general donors and alumni who seek information about contributing financial resources to enhance our work.

Our staff women regularly order books and assist with instructional resources that are essential components of our successes as effective instructors.

There is also the professional staff, many of whom have talents that far exceed their work titles’ rewards, who work tirelessly to enhance the profile of the university in ways that are too numerous to delineate here.

Second, we must do our part, even in the context of unsteady economic times, to ensure that women at all levels of our University are paid equitably. Available national data show that women earned 77 cents for every $1 earned by men, while data on university salaries demonstrate similar gender-based salary inequities for staff and faculty women.

When we fail to pay women what they deserve, we not only cheat them, but we rob their families as well, who have fewer resources to pay for high-quality childcare, prepare for retirement, contribute charitably and to educate children in ways that are necessary to build a stronger American future.

Now that the month-long celebration of Women’s History Month is over, let us commit our resources in ways that empower women, strengthen our families and ensure that IU will continue to achieve President McRobbie’s significant vision of making IU “a world-class institution,” whereby gender equity and success are realities for all.