In 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the proclamation that established national recognition for Women’s History Month. In it, he wrote that throughout history, “too often, women were unsung and sometimes their contributions went unnoticed,” reflecting the deeply rooted sexism that persists today, from the gender wage gap to underrepresentation in tech startups, corporate boardrooms, corner offices and government. “Understanding the true history of our country,” wrote Carter, “will help us to comprehend the need for full equality under the law for all our people.”
Understanding the true history of our country often means facing uncomfortable realities. Certainly, women have made great strides towards equality and overdue recognition. Yet, as we witness the confirmation hearings for what would be the very first Black woman ever to sit on the US Supreme Court, it is very apparent that we still have a long way to go, especially for BIPOC women, lesbian, gender nonconforming and trans women.
As a public research University, we have a vital role to play in exploring and understanding women’s histories and experiences in the context of overlapping and intersecting identities. It’s also critical to our public mission to make educational and professional opportunity accessible, removing barriers and creating pathways to excellence for all students. It’s inherent in that mission to understand the particular barriers that minoritized women and girls are facing.
At the University of Washington, we recognize the importance of representation, something that’s visible in the extraordinary roster of women in leadership roles and prominent positions. More than half of our deans are women, all three of UW Medicine’s hospitals are headed by women, and all three campuses are now led by women, including two women of color. But this level of representation is extremely recent in our University’s history, and is not reflected across the higher education sector, or in virtually any other sector.
As we look to the future, our task is to build on the progress that has been made, while reflecting honestly on the ways in which it has not always been equitable, and to ensure that our efforts going forward are truly grounded in equity. The future is female, but so is the past, and what we learn from the past will inform our vision of a world that is more just, equitable and inclusive for all women and all people.