March is Women’s History Month - and while at Above Glass Ceilings, we elevate, promote, and support women every month of the year, this is a time when we can reflect on the progress women have made and how our history informs our future. While our focus is building momentum in gender equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace, it is only through examining our history that we can understand the glass ceilings women still face today.
Why does women’s history matter? Because if women aren’t featured in our history, they are not going to see themselves in our boardrooms, on our job sites, or in our industries. Of the 737 history makers mentioned in K-12 curriculum standards, only 178 individual women are named - that’s only 24%, despite women making up half the population. Only 2% of National Park Service sites are dedicated to women and only 10% of public outdoor statues depict female historical figures. We need to embrace that American history is women’s history if we are to achieve gender equity in our workforce.
We want to acknowledge the organizations and groups that are working to promote women’s history, not just in March, but every day of the year and encourage you to follow, support, and promote them.
National Museum of Women’s History - This museum was founded in 1996 with the mission to research, collect, and exhibit the contributions of women to the social, cultural, economic, and political life of our nation. While the museum is online only currently, they have a comprehensive website and social media presence that shares women’s history.
Whether this effort will become a museum on the National Mall is still uncertain. Congress recently passed the Smithsonian Women’s History Act, authorizing the creation of a national women’s history museum - named the American Museum of Women's History - in D.C. but the timeline of the project is unclear and the museum would still need to be funded.
The Lily - The Lily was the first newspaper in the United States edited by and for women. It was published from 1849 to 1853 by Amelia Bloomer, women’s rights advocate and fashion icon. The paper’s goal was to promote and share issues related to women’s rights. Although the paper would fold sometime after Bloomer’s departure from the project, it has been reborn in a new way in the 21st century.
Launched in 2017, The Lily was formed as a publication within The Washington Post as an homage to its namesake. The Lily has a female-forward team behind the scenes and their journalists work on stories specific to women’s lives today. Covering everything from politics to health to work, their mission is to empower women with news and promote inclusivity by sharing diverse voices. As the editor in chief wrote in her welcome post, “We need The Lily because [women’s] stories must be told. Because there are so many smart, impressive, unapologetic women ready to be heard. There is nothing more exciting than the possibility of screaming their stories to the world.”
A Tour of Her Own - A Tour of Her Own (TOHO) is the first tourism company in Washington, DC to focus exclusively on women’s history. Their mission is to elevate women’s stories into a more prominent place in American history and culture. Their team of public historians, tour guides, and authors are integrating the challenges of contributions of women into our collective narratives with storytelling and an educational experience that is approachable, relatable, and sustainable.
TOHO offers a wide array of programs, salons, and events - both virtually and in-person in the DC-area - and a membership program for those that want to support their mission and participate in their activities. Whether it’s discussing the contributions of First Ladies, discovering the forgotten women buried at Arlington National Cemetery, or taking a bus trip to trace the steps of Harriet Tubman, TOHO is creating opportunities to engage with women’s history in new ways.
Above Glass Ceilings is creating opportunities for women by assisting companies in embracing the value of empowered women leaders with resulting corporate growth. To learn more about our services or to partner with us, please contact us using our contact form. You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, like our page on Facebook, connect with us on LinkedIn, and subscribe to our newsletter.