April has just begun, and considering that last month was Women’s History Month, it is time to recap a month whose celebration of women should continue throughout the entire year. The recognition for commendable women, however, is often poor to say the least.
Take U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, arguably the most powerful woman in the world today. Despite being the highest ranking official in the president’s Cabinet, American media finds it difficult not to ask the requisite questions on her exercise routines and fashion sense when interviewing this woman of prestige. After an appearance at an army base, the Washington Post found it necessary to devote an entire article to the boots she chose to wear √¢?” not to her words or actions.
Throughout politics, women across the board, regardless of status, feel that issues of women’s equality go unnoticed. Many feel that equal pay for women and appointing women in leadership positions are two important issues that exist without being discussed. This may be a result of the fact that the there are only 69 women in the U.S. House of Representatives and only 14 in the Senate. While this may be the highest amount of women to be in Congress at one time, it is not representative of America’s population. The upcoming Congressional elections will see many women running for positions within the Democratic party √¢?” compelling the Republicans to refer to them as the “Mommy Party.”
The United States is currently ranked 68 in the world for women in leadership, and most people would not be able to name the first woman elected to the House. It was Jeannette Rankin, by the way.
Women fight for respect even in college basketball . The NCAA tournaments have brought a lot of excitement to sports fans everywhere. St. John’s University is traditionally known athletically for its men’s basketball team. Nevertheless, it was the women’s team that earned an impressive seven seed in the NCAA tournament. While the fans who enthusiastically cheered on the team at Penn State should be strongly commended, a more consistent and widespread fan base should exist for such a successful team √¢?” regardless of their gender.
The most interesting fact concerning women and respect may just be that they account for the majority of the world’s population, yet they are still considered a minority in terms of value. In fact, females applying to college are now finding it harder and harder to break the gender barrier, because more females than males are applying to college today.
With March in our rear view, hopefully people will take the chance to celebrate women’s history month – whether it is March or not.
