Women's Equality Day 2022: History, Significance, and Facts

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In the United States, Women's Equality Day is celebrated on 26 August to commemorate the adoption of Amendment XIX (nineteenth Amendment) of the United States Constitution in 1920 to prohibit the states from depriving citizens of the United States of the right to vote based on their gender identity.

It was first celebrated in 1971, designated by Congress in 1973, and proclaimed by the President of the United States each year.

The History Of Women's Equality Day

Every citizen has the right to vote - but that wasn't always the case. In most countries, women have been denied the right to vote until very recently. As early as the 19th century, women began agitating for the right to vote to assert their rights.

States were responsible for determining who was eligible to vote in the United States. According to the 19th Amendment, passed in 1920, everyone has the right to vote regardless of gender. The celebration of Women's Equality Day commemorates the achievements of women's rights activists and highlights the unique challenges women face day to day.

Here are some important facts about Women's Equality Day:

• The date was chosen to commemorate the 1920 certification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote.
• Women's Equality Day was the culmination of a massive, peaceful civil rights movement initiated by women in 1848 at the world's first women's rights convention held in Seneca Falls, New York.
• Observing Women's Equality Day serves to honour the passage of the 19th Amendment and raise awareness of women's ongoing efforts to achieve full equality.
• In the early 19th century, American women, who were generally unable to inherit property and earned half the wages of men, organized to demand political rights and representation.
• First introduced in 1878, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution failed to gain traction in the United States.
• Until women's contribution to World War, I became painfully evident, the cause of women's suffrage could not gain adequate support.
• 26 August 1970 marked the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which established women's suffrage. A national "strike for equality" was called by the National Organization for Women (NOW) on that anniversary.
• Across the country, more than 100,000 other women participated in demonstrations and rallies, making this the largest demonstration for gender equality in American history.
• Even though the strike did not bring about immediate change, it successfully demonstrated the breadth of support for women's rights. The media attention it received was significant for the feminist movement.
• A proclamation is read by the US President every year, recognizing the outstanding work of trailblazers in this area.

The following is an excerpt from US President Biden's speech on Women's Equality Day in 2021.

"I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim 26 August 2021 as Women's Equality Day. I call upon the people of the United States to celebrate and continue to build on our country's progress towards gender equality and to defend and strengthen the right to vote." (sic)