Equality is a work in progress

As the 101st anniversary of American women's right to vote is celebrated on Thursday, it's a good time to reflect on the past, present and future of gender equity.

Congress designated Aug. 26 as Women's Equality Day in 1973 to commemorate the 1920 certification of the 19th Amendment. Even though it wasn't until years later that women of color were effectively included, the day has become a marker to honor women's suffrage and remember the barriers females still face.

It's a time to think about the countless contributions women have made over the decades to turn the dream of equality into reality; about women who were not necessarily well known but who helped advance the cause. Many of those women's stories are told in the current Minnesota Historical Society exhibit "Extraordinary Women.'' It includes information about:

Katie McWatt, the educator and civil rights activist whose 1964 campaign for St. Paul City Council broke through race and gender barriers for city campaigns.

Sarah Burger Stearns, who petitioned to have the word "male'' struck from the Minnesota Constitution's definition of eligible voters in 1860s.

Marie Bottineau Baldwin, of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, who helped handle legal cases for Ojibwe people in Minnesota and North Dakota. In the 1890s she moved to Washington, D.C., earned her law degree and joined the fight for treaty rights and tribal sovereignty.

Though we can celebrate the achievements of these women and others who paved the way for the progress enjoyed in the 21st century, we must also remember that more remains to be done. The goal of full gender equity has yet to be realized, either in the U.S. or globally. And, of course, women around the world lack many of the rights American women enjoy.

Today, the earnings difference between males and females still affects women's economic power, and gender-based discrimination still occurs in workplaces and business transactions. In 2020, women earned 84% of what men earned in the U.S., according to a Pew Research Center analysis, a figure that has remained the same for the last 15 years.

And though the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was introduced in 1923, but not heard in Congress until the 1970s, it took until 2020 for the required 38 states to vote for ratification. It still awaits official adoption because the U.S. House voted to eliminate the deadline for passage in the original legislation, but similar language is pending in the Senate.

Then there are the current attacks on voting rights that would ban drive-through voting, limit voting hours, make absentee voting more difficult and empower partisan poll watchers. Those changes could have a disproportionately negative impact on elderly and low-income women and on women of color.

While it's important to remember the advances of the past century, it's also essential to understand that women's equal rights are a work in progress. One of the best ways to celebrate and honor those who brought us thus far is to continue the struggle for gender equity and fairness throughout every sector of society.