The Best Ways to Celebrate Women’s Equality Day

By Jasmine Clark, Live Well Enhance You Contributing Writer

Women’s Equality Day is observed every year on August 26th, in honor of American women’s right to vote being recognized on August 26th, 1920 with the Nineteenth Amendment. This landmark decision gave women the enormous power of being able to choose their elected officials, but over a century later, there are still lingering issues regarding women’s equality.

The gender pay gap

Those who have the most wealth in society tend to hold the most power and privilege because of that wealth. That’s why the gender pay gap is so important. According to Payscale, there are two different ways to look at this gap. When you consider all jobs held by all women and men, women earn 82% of what men earn. When you focus on women and men who have the same job and qualifications, you get the controlled gender pay gap of 99% to 100%. That means women are paid 99% of what men are paid with the same job and qualifications. Sounds pretty good, but there’s still a problem.

The 82% number results from the fact that women often go into careers that much of society views as “feminine” careers, like childcare, teaching, service, and other “nurturing” jobs – and those jobs often pay less than “masculine” careers. Stereotypes prevalent in society may make women feel discouraged to go into male-dominated fields. And when they do go into male-dominated fields, the pay rate in those fields tends to drop.

Sometimes male managers and CEOs carry unconscious bias with them into the workplace, doing things like not giving women as many networking opportunities as men, which results in women being overlooked for hiring or promotions. Another factor that comes into play is motherhood. The pay gap for mothers is worse than for women without children. One reason is that mothers are often assumed to be too distracted by their children to be serious about their jobs, though fathers aren’t viewed the same way.

What about the world of freelancing, where professionals choose their own rates? You’d think women would have equal pay there, but a study found that even in freelancing, men tend to earn more than women for doing the same types of work. Why? Because thanks to societal expectations, women asking for a high rate may be viewed as cold and selfish, while men doing the same are more likely to be seen as ambitious and confident.

Women in leadership

Because wealth creates power in society, owning a business is a major way women can gain more power. 42% of US businesses are owned by women. While this isn’t at the 50% level needed to be equal to men, this is still a good sign because the number of women-owned businesses has grown over the years. The number of women-owned businesses has increased by 114% since the early 2000s.

But when it comes to larger businesses, women are not equal to men. Only about 7% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women. The number used to be even lower, so 7% is an improvement, but women’s equality still needs to make more progress in this area. But growing a business requires funding, and when it comes to getting investments, women tend to have a harder time. Since 2016, women-owned startups have received just 4.4% of backing from venture capital firms. Making matters worse, women-owned startups tend to end up paying higher interest rates compared to similar male-owned businesses.

Gender bias is likely coming into play with investment decisions, with potential investors being more skeptical of female founders than males. Their bias is reflected in their questions; for example, they’ll ask men how their ideas will “win” while asking women to explain how their ideas will “not lose.” These subtle differences in language show a lack of confidence in female founders.

There isn’t enough female leadership in business, and the same thing is true in government. Fewer than 30 countries around the world have women as heads of state or heads of government, and only 21% of government ministers are female. In the US, women make up 28% of Congress and 31% of all statewide elected executives, despite women being half the population. The country finally gained a female vice president after over 200 years, but not even one female president has ever made it to the White House.

The housework gap

Achieving equality for women isn’t just about making big societal changes. It’s also about what goes on in the home. One example of this is the housework gap. On average, women spend 47 minutes more than men on housework every day, and that doesn’t even include grocery shopping, childcare, and other errands. When men hold onto old-fashioned ideas that women – even working women – are supposed to do the housework, women become exhausted and burned out, negatively affecting their quality of life.

Amazingly, when a survey asked people what they’d like their spouse or partner to do to reduce their stress, the #1 response from women was that they wish they had more help around the house… while the #1 response from men was that they’re satisfied with the way things are. One can’t help but wonder if the men in this survey were so happy because they’ve gotten used to their wives doing most of the housework!

Ways to support Women’s Equality Day

Donate to organizations that aid women and girls - Women’s Equality Day is a great day to donate to organizations making a difference for women and girls around the world. CAMFED and the Malala Fund contribute to girls’ education in several countries where there are barriers to girls receiving schooling. Kiva gives crowdfunded loans to small businesses, many of which are women-owned. Tahirih Justice Center helps women escape gender-based violence such as sexual assault and forced marriage.

Support women-owned businesses - Buying from women-owned businesses is one of the most effective things you can do to promote women’s equality because it helps women build wealth. Besides being a customer, another thing you can do is invest in women-owned startups on crowdfunding investment platforms like Wefunder, Republic, and StartEngine.

Spread the word about women-owned businesses - Even if you aren’t able to buy or invest now, you can follow your favorite women-owned businesses on social media and share their posts to your page. Leaving 5-star reviews for women-owned businesses you had a good experience with makes a huge difference, too.

Research political candidates - Since Women’s Equality Day celebrates women gaining the right to vote, it makes sense to use this day to research political candidates, including local, state, and national candidates. Find out what policies the candidates stand for and determine how much their policies promote women’s equality. Register to vote if you haven’t already.

The best way to celebrate Women’s Equality Day…

If you’re a woman, the best way you can make progress for women’s equality is by being fearless and going after your goals, whatever they are. Even if you’ve felt demotivated in the past because of sexism you’ve faced, don’t lose hope. Take action and remember that you’re capable of doing anything you want. And the best part is, you can lift up other women along the way.

Jasmine Clark is a freelance writer from North Carolina. She enjoys writing about topics such as stress relief and positive thinking. She likes to encourage others to find ways to calm down and relax. In her spare time, she loves to write fiction stories and watch TV and YouTube. You can find her on Instagram @cozysachi.