Women's History Month Newsletter

March 2017

Women's History Month

Womens historic contributions are often reduced. The goal of Womens History
Month is to highlight the accomplishments of women throughout history in all
sectors of life and to celebrate women from all different backgrounds and identities.

History
How Women's History Month Began
In 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed a proclamation
declaring March 2nd through the 8th to be Womens
History Week. This proclamation was inspired by a
week-long celebration of womens contributions in the
school district of Sonoma, California. The National
Womens History Project followed suit and began
organizing celebrations in several communities and
school districts.
The National Womens History Week was a success. In
the first couple years, thousands of schools and
communities were celebrating womens contributions. By
1986, many were lobbying for Congress to declare the entire month of March as Womens
History Month.
In 1987, Congress declared March as National Womens History Month. Since then, a
presidential proclamation is issued each year. Iowa has issued a proclamation declaring
March as Womens History Month since 1987.

Important Dates in Women's History (U.S)

Dates to Know
1890: Wyoming becomes the first state to grant women the right to vote in all elections.
1916: Margaret Sanger challenges the validity of New Yorks anti-contraception law by
establishing a clinic in Brooklyn. One of the most well-known birth control advocates, she
is one of hundreds arrested over a 40-year period for working to establish a womens right
to control their own bodies.
1920: The Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified. It declares: The
right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United
States or by any State on account of sex.
1925: American Indian suffrage granted by act of Congress.
1938: The Fair Labor Standards Act establishes minimum wage without regard to sex.
1963: The Equal Pay Act is passed by Congress, promising equitable wages for the same
work, regardless of the race, color, religion, national origin or sex of the worker.
1964: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act passes including a prohibition against employment
discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex.
1968: Shirley Chisholm becomes first African-American congresswoman
1971: Phillips v. Martin Marietta Corporation, 400 U.S. 542: The U.S. Supreme Court
outlaws the practice of private employers refusing to hire women with pre-school children.
1972: Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sex in federally funded education
programs
1973: Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 and Doe v. Bolton, 410 U.S. 179: The U.S. Supreme
Court declares that the Constitution protects womens right to terminate an early
pregnancy, thus making abortion legal in the U.S.
1974: Housing discrimination on the basis of sex and credit discrimination against women
are outlawed by Congress.
1978: The Pregnancy Discrimination Act bans employment discrimination against
pregnant women.
1981: The U.S. Supreme Court rules that excluding women from the draft is constitutional.
1981: Kirchberg v. Feenstra, 450 U.S. 455, 459-60, overturns state laws designating a
husband head and master with unilateral control of property owned jointly with his wife.
1983: Sally Ride becomes first American woman to travel in space
1984: The state of Mississippi belatedly ratifies the 19th Amendment, granting women the
vote.
1993: The Family and Medical Leave Act goes into effect.
1994: The Violence Against Women Act funds services for victims of rape and domestic
violence, allows women to seek civil rights remedies for gender-related crimes, provides
training to increase police and court officials sensitivity and a national 24-hour hotline for
battered women.
1997: Elaborating on Title IX, the Supreme Court rules that college athletics programs
must actively involve roughly equal numbers of men and women to qualify for federal
support.
2005: Violence Against Women Act is reauthorized. The 2005 reauthorization allocates
federal funds to aid victims, provides housing to prevent victims from becoming homeless,
ensures victims have access to the justice system, and creates intervention programs to
assist children who witnessed domestic violence and to those at risk of domestic violence.
2007: Nancy Pelosi becomes the first female speaker of the House.
2009: Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act allows victims, usually women, of pay
discrimination to file a complaint with the government against their employer within 180
days of their last paycheck.
2009: Sonia Sotomayor becomes the first Latina to serve in the Supreme Court
2010: The Affordable Health Care Act is signed into law. Under this law, private health
insurance companies must provide birth control without co-pays or deductibles. The law
requires private insurance companies to cover preventive services.
2013: The ban against women in military combat positions is removed; this overturned a
1994 Pentagon decision restricting women from combat roles.
2013: Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. The new bill extends coverage
to women of Native American tribal lands who are attacked by non-tribal residents, as well
as lesbians and immigrants.
2013: United States v. Windsor 570 U.S. Supreme Court decides that a key part of
DOMA, the law that restricts federal recognition of same-sex marriage, is unconstitutional
because it violates the equal protection clause of the constitution.

Recent Accomplishments
History in the Making
2016: Ilhan Omar becomes America's first Somali-American Muslim female legislator
2016: Catherine Cortez Masto from Nevada becomes first Latina Senator
2016: Air Force Gen. Lori J. Robinson becomes first woman to lead a U.S
military combatant command
2017: Viola Davis becomes first black woman to win an Oscar, Emmy, and Tony for
acting

Women in Iowa
Statistics from The State Data Center of Iowa and the Department of
Human Rights' Office on the Status on Women
$36,264: median earnings in 2015 inflation-adjusted dollars for full-time,year round
women workers in Iowa. For men, it is $47, 298.
92.5% of women over 25 have at least a high school education. This compares to only
61.8% in 1970.
27.7% of women over 25 have a bachelor degree or higher. In 1970, it was only 7.5%.
Women make up 58.5% of Iowas universities and colleges.
91,137 women over 25 have advanced degrees.
13,250: the number of Iowa women who are veterans of the U.S armed forces.
28.6% percentage of women who comprise statewide, elected executive office
holders.(2015)
22% percentage of women in state legislature
16.7% percentage of women in Iowas congressional delegation

Celebrating Women of Iowa

Evelyn Davis
In 1967, Evelyn Davis opened Tiny Tots Child Care Center. This was Iowas first day care
center for at-risk children. Her program helped provide low-cost care for parents. Her work
demonstrated community leadership and provided a basis for family services in Iowa.
Today her legacy continues at the Evelyn K. Davis Center for Working Families.
Edna Griffin
In 1948, many Iowan establishments refused to serve African-Americans under a public
accommodation law. After Edna Griffin was refused service at Katz Drug Store, she filed a
lawsuit with her friend John Bibbs. She organized picketing and sit-ins. Griffin won her
case against Katz. The decision was later upheld by the Iowa Supreme Court. Later,
Griffin would organize a local chapter called the Congress of Racial Equality.
In 1963, she organized for some Iowans to attend Martin Luther Kings March on
Washington.
Jean Adeline Morgan Wanatee
Jean Adeline Morgan Wanatee was the first woman to serve on the local powwow
association and the national Sac and Fox Tribal Council. Wanatee is also celebrated for
her work in womens rights and Mesquakie language and culture. As the Mesquakie
School Board chair, she fought for the proper representation of Native Americans.
For a full list of women in the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame, visit this website.

Ways You Can Celebrate Women's History Month

Quizzes
Test your knowledge on women's history here!

How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!Maya Angelou
For most of history, Anonymous was a womanVirginia Woolf

Rubi Cordova | Writing Intern

Iowa Department of Human Rights | Office on the Status of Women

Lucas State Office Building | 321 E 12th Street | Des Moines, IA 50319