LADIES FIRST!

As a major political party gives a woman a presidential nomination for the first time in US history, now is the moment to marvel at how far women have come.

Though the word “feminism” (feminisme in the original French) came into existence circa 1840, it has been a long, slow struggle to secure equal rights and freedoms for women. Women have had to fight like crazy for some seemingly very basic things.

Kind of unbelievably, it wasn’t until 1920 that women finally secured the right to vote in the US (woohoo, 19^th Amendment!)

And it wasn’t until 1975 that women were allowed to sit on a jury in all 50 states.

From opening a line of credit to watching the Olympic games, there were all kinds of activities women were case closed not allowed to do.

But with time and tireless effort, much of that has changed. Women have redefined the phrase “women’s work” by holding offices of prestige and by wielding great power. From homemakers to breadwinners, women have expanded their possibilities, exercising the right to have children and careers. They have lobbied and secured control of their own bodies. But it hasn’t been easy, and to quote a line from the opening credits of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt—

Females are strong as hell.

In 1995, Walmart pulled off its shelves a t-shirt because a customer complained it was promoting a “political message.” On it, the character Margaret from Dennis the Menace makes a potent prediction:

Walmart eventually restocked the shirt, but even in the last twenty-one years women have had to continue advocating for themselves and, in so doing, have made enormous strides.

And this year, Margaret’s “someday” is closer than ever—it may just, finally, arrive.