We are thrilled to welcome our third! guest blogger to the RSP. RSP meet Jaclyn.
Jaclyn, a dear friend, is a rising voice in public policy, never shy to sport a preppy edge, and an expert on the hand-written note and all things Law and Order. In her RSP debut, Jaclyn reminds us She-Office Ninjas that today is not just another Thursday.......
Getting out the Vote -- By RSP Guest Blogger, Jaclyn
Today is a celebration for all women. August 26th marks the 90th anniversary of one of the most defining moments for women in the United States – the 19th amendment to the United States Constitution was passed into law guaranteeing all American women the right to vote. The leading ladies of the general women’s right movement, Susan B Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Margaret Sanger amongst many others deserve the gratitude of the 150 + million women in the United States that now enjoy the freedoms these women advocated so bravely for. Their poise, smarts and success have led to the tremendous progress that we now see 90 years after the amendment’s ratification.
Nowhere has this progress been more visible than in the workplace. These past nine decades have seen an influx of women into the workplace (which is now nearly equal to men), women elected and appointed to state and federal offices, a large and growing effort to equalize pay (re: President Obama’s signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act) and a higher percentage of women voting than men. Thus, the fearless ladies’ of the women’s right movement sacrifices have not gone in vain.
As a woman who has worked in two traditionally male dominated industries’, the importance of today does not go unnoticed. I have learned from and try to incorporate the strength of Rosie the Riveter, the brevity of Susan B Anthony and the sophistication of Elizabeth Cady Stanton into my she-office ninja persona.
However, for all women, today is a day of thanks and credit to the 19th amendment for the lasting changes it has had for women since its inception. And the best thanks we could offer to those that struggled before us, is to use the right we were gifted nine decades back and vote during this coming election (sorry shameless plug).