Women throughout history have made unparalleled contributions to our society, contributions that have benefited both women and men.Their efforts are noticeable within our society every day, in fields ranging from politics to science, education and health care.
And yet, the daily contributions of these women to society are annually shortchanged and shepherded into a disproportionately small amount of time designated to honor them.
Women's History deserves more attention than it currently receives. March is Women’s History Month, but students tend to forget this fact, instead allowing thoughts of sun-filled spring break adventures, March Madness and St. Patrick’s Day to distract them from their observance of this cultural celebration.
The real problem here is that our society has a habit of trying to condense entire decades, even centuries, of cultural history into the form of a single predetermined month to pay tribute to that group's contributions to our country. There are a few problems with this practice.
First, trying to encapsulate an entire culture's history into a single month isn't conducive to it being discussed throughout the rest of the year. In the case of women's history, it compartmentalizes the entire scope of female-related history within the United States into a narrow window, equating it to be culturally relevant only during the month of March.
Furthermore, it suggests that women as a whole are to be viewed as a supplementary category in American social history, rather than a continuous part of its entire history.
Unfortunately, this pattern of compacting large timespans of history into a month's time is evident in our observance of other demographics' contributions to society. Perhaps the clearest example of this is Black History Month.
Every February, universities across the country sponsor events and discussions designed to honor the important contributions of such promiment figures as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman in celebration of Black History Month.
And yet, despite all the talk that of renewed equality and education that usually accompanies these cultural workshops, it seems that students' minds are only oriented toward this mode of thinking when it occurs within that culture's desginated month for recognition. The discussions and promises of renewed equality and identity awareness often disappear as soon as the month ends.
Our sudden attention and concern for both women’s and African-Americans' contributions and experiences seems to rise out of nowhere and disappears as quickly as it comes, rendering our generation’s concern for civil equality essentially unchanged for the remainder of the year.
At Elon, Women’s History Month has been celebrated by various departmental offerings and opportunities to discuss and reflect on women’s rights and the future. On March 15, Elon students and faculty were invited to participate in the women's and gender studies scholarship forum, geared toward discussion of women’s achievements in society, particularly emphasizing female contributions within the realm of higher education. Belk Library publicized its open display of texts and works related to women’s rights and achievements throughout the month.
Amanda Gallagher, assistant professor of communications and coordinator of Elon's women's and gender studies program, said during an interview with The Pendulum that while having a single month designated to discuss women's rights can be constrictive to the discussion, the fact that it exists remains the positive tipping point.
“It's good to have these months,” Gallagher said. “I wish we didn't have to have a month called women's history month; I wish we could have these type of discussions every day, but sometimes you need a special uniting theme to recognize the issues.”
American society is riche for its various cultures and minority communities, all of which deserve the right to be celebrated year round, not compacted into a designated period and then cast aside.
Women’s History Month rightfully pays tribute to the endless contributions and accomplishments made by women for our society.
In addition, it celebrates the future potential of our female population, but it is insulting to try and adequately express our gratitude for their efforts if it means it has to happen within the confines of a 31 day period. Women and their historical achievements deserve to be appreciated year round.