Stand Up – Honoring Women and Women’s Leadership

Since the early 1900’s, when protests began to spring up in the United States, Denmark and other countries, women have worked to shine a light on issues such as voting rights, working conditions, equal pay and acknowledgement of women’s achievements.

In 1977 International Women’s Day was officially designated by the United Nations and today it is recognized by countries around the world as not only a day to celebrate women’s many accomplishments but also to promote the ongoing importance of gender equality. In the 1980’s Congress pass a resolution designating Women’s History week and later that same decade, Women’s History Month.

Throughout history and today, women make up the majority of the child care workforce, primarily women of color. For far too long, child care has been undervalued and poorly compensated, in part because it has always been viewed as “women’s work” and therefore compounded by issues of sexism and racism. As Austin et al. (2019) states, “The historical and pervasive undervaluing of labor performed by women and minorities in the United States has combined to create one of the most underpaid workforces in the country: those who care for and teach young children.”

How do we continue to work towards gender equality and the real monetary value of all women’s work? I sometimes wonder what society would be like if more women were in leadership roles. According to the AAUW (2016), there are plenty of qualified women in the United States who could take on leadership roles. Women are about half the labor force and exceed men in attaining both bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Yet across the spectrum, they are underrepresented in leadership roles. From politics, where at the state and federal level women make up only 18% – 33% of elected or confirmed leadership roles to academia women are clearly in fewer leadership roles. And in the corporate world, even fewer women are in leadership roles. The percentages are even less for women of color.

So I encourage us all to both celebrate and strive to bring recognition, dignity, and equity to the work of women and all child care professionals. Let’s celebrate the accomplishments of the many women throughout history who have made a difference, from scientists to artists, activists, child care professionals and more. Let's also continue push forward in our advocacy for gender equality and stand up for systemically underpaid and undervalued women in the essential child care workforce.

As Maya Angelou told us,

“Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.”

References

Austin, Lea J.E., Edwards, B., Chávez, R. & Whitebook, M. (2019). Racial Wage Gaps in Early Education Employment. Center for the Study of Child Care Employment. https://cscce.berkeley.edu/racial-wage-gaps-in-early-education-employment/.

Hill, C., Miller, K., Benson, K., & Handley, G. (2016). Barriers and Bias: The Status of Women in Leadership. Washington, D.C. AAUW. https://www.aauw.org/resources/research/barrier-bias/

Lloyd, C.M., Carlson, J., Barnett, H., Shaw, S., & Logan, D. (2021). Mary Pauper: A historical

exploration of early care and education compensation, policy, and solutions. Child Trends.