March is a month filled with many celebrations such as March Madness, St. Patrick’s Day and Easter. But a special holiday that is sometimes overlooked is women’s history month. The month of March is a time to reflect on the what women have accomplished through history. From gaining a voting right to finding a firm voice in the workplace, women have made historic strides that deserve celebration.
People might disagree and claim that there is not a month where men are celebrated but that also is not true. Every month is a great way to honor all men and women for ways they have contributed through history. But women have faced adversity for hundreds of years and feel it is right to honor those who fought for the voice of the voiceless.
Women’s history month started on March 8, 1857 when women from New York City factories staged a protest over deplorable working conditions. They demanded better wages, less than 10 hour work days and better safety. The protest was broken up by police and many women were even beaten because of the protest. The women protesters were also picketing against child labor as well and to end sweatshops.
But as the years moved on, women gained more and more rights through gaining access to college, equal rights pay and the right to vote. Now women can serve as cabinet members, receive fair labor and have also received the honor of being a presidential candidate.
Cabrini honors these women who fought for future women’s rights by creating a women’s studies concentration under an english major.
“I started the women’s studies concentration when I came to Cabrini about 8 years ago because it is something that I’m passionate about as my area of research focuses on beauty culture and its influence on our culture,” Michelle Filling-Brown, department chair of English said. “It has been a very popular concentration within our department.”
But Cabrini wants to honor all people as well and has created a new major and minor in order to incorporate those wanting a broader course of study.
“The women’s studies concentration is being phased out now that we have the Gender and Body Studies major and minor program,” Filling-Brown said. “This new program is an amplification of the women’s studies concentration and allows students to take even more courses that focus on these issues.”
Filling-Brown encourages those who would like to get more involved in celebrating women’s history to take one of the many classes Cabrini has to offer.
“We have several that are being offered in the fall including Asian American Women Writers and Introduction to Body Studies. Also, students can anticipate the National Undergraduate Body Image Conference in October 2016.”
Cabrini held a discussion on March 10, 2016 about the image of women in advertising. Media critic Jean Kilbourne is an acclaimed critic, filmmaker and author. In her speech Kilbourne showed how media and advertising portray women as objects, not human beings. Kilbourne also explained the harsh reality women face when seeing photoshopped pictures of models only to feel that they will never look as perfect as the models in magazines. “The message these ads give women and girls and boys for that matter about what it means to be a woman are extremely damaging. The emphasis is always on how women look,” Kilbourne said.
Sophomore Biology major Anbiesca Villar has chosen a major that less than 50 years ago was not an profession that women were allowed to work in.
“I chose my major because I like to help people and I am very interested in the human body,” Villar said. “The medical field is very competitive and male dominant and a challenge would be the constant questioning about my ability to perform and understand things.”
But Villar still has hope for more women in male dominant professions.
“The positive is that you get to prove yourself to those that doubted you and you get to change someone’s life for the better.”
