Celebrate and elevate women in society

“I’m telling Mom!” We say it, and then we run to the mother figures in our lives. Women who are understanding, solve problems and do not judge us; they love us. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we would elevate women to their rightful place in our society?

Currently, women make 80 cents to every dollar made by a man; the United States remains one of the only industrialized nations yet to elect a woman to the presidency; we do not mandate paid maternity leave and when women decide to return to work, they are stigmatized for placing career over children; sexual assault and abuse of women remain epidemic, and 80 percent of women with disabilities will report facing abuse and assault in their lifetimes.

The Women’s March and the #MeToo movement have led to the further empowerment of women in very public ways. Yet it is in our personal lives where we demand respect and our right to equal standing. It is in how we educate our daughters to no longer believe in patriarchy’s limits, which have said girls can’t play sports, shouldn’t have loud voices and should only pursue careers in teaching and nursing. It is in how we educate our sons to realize girls are not property to be possessed; they are equal partners in the world we build together.

We designate March as Women’s History Month, yet real change happens when every day, month and year women are celebrated. Then we all shall rise.

SUE ETTERS

Sewickley

The writer is a member of the Write Stuff Workgroup of the Health Committee for Persons with Disabilities of the Consumer Health Coalition.