Letter: Let’s remember Women’s Equality Day
August 23 is Women’s Equality Day. On this day in 1920 the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution was enacted and American women gained the right to vote in federal elections. Significant progress has been made in the subsequent 94 years.
Women are now active in all spheres of American life, from education and the arts to business, science, and the military. Yet issues remain that demand our continued attention and dedication to making things better. We must continue to be vigilant, working to protect the right to vote from efforts to restrict it. Equal pay for equal work, parental leave for working mothers and fathers, equal access to health services for women, protection for women against sexual assault and harassment are all areas where work needs to be done to ensure women’s equality.
As we celebrate the right to vote, the League of Women Voters urges all citizens – men as well as women – to study the issues and become involved in the public debate and democratic process that is so important to all our lives. Equal treatment and equal protection for women in the workplace, at home, and in society at large are essential to ensure a better life for all Americans.
Marilee Hyman
President
League of Women Voters of San Luis Obispo County
