International Women’s Day
Today is International Women’s Day, a chance for us to both honor the women who paved the way for greater equality and look ahead to the important roles women will play in business and politics. The twentieth century witnessed great gains for women. In our own country, women were guaranteed the right to vote with the ratification of the 19th Amendment on August 18, 1920. Since then, women have come closer and closer to full equality, and earlier this year, women passed men to become the majority in American workplaces.
But women’s success should not make us complacent. Around the world, women still suffer gross injustices. Just this week, the Economist’s cover story cites the “gendercide” that has led to the abortion or killing of over 100 million women worldwide. Dana Perino wrote in Politico this morning on the medical and economic hardships women confront throughout Africa. It is my hope that the continued assistance coming from private organizations, like the ONE Campaign, will help to alleviate these problems.
Here at home, we still have work to do as well. Starting a family can stall a woman’s career, and the attempt to balance work and family has caused women to receive reduced wages at a time when they need income to help raise their children. I confronted many of the same challenges early in my career that women face today. I managed to raise my two children and build a business. It was not an easy task. It can be nearly impossible to split time between the boardroom and the playroom, but every day millions of moms do it. Gender discrimination in America is not as much a problem as it once was, but we need to assure women the opportunity to raise a family while continuing their careers. This is important for improving family values and creating a wider talent pool in our economy.