How to Recognize Women's Equality Day

Women's Equality Day is observed annually in the United States on August 26. It commemorates the 1920 certification of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. This milestone is attributed to a peaceful women's civil rights movement that took 70+ years to realize.

While thankfully women have maintained that right for more than a century, there are many other ways women are losing ground in the fight for equality:

• At the current rate, women won’t achieve pay equity for another century, according to Pew Research. Women without a college degree fare worse than those who are educated for a number of reasons; this recent Wall Street Journal analysis shows that within just three years after college graduation, women are earning substantially less than their male classmates who graduated from the same college and major. Find out just how pronounced the wage gap is in your state with this tool from the U.S. Census.

• With the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade, women have also lost control of their own reproductive health in nearly half of the U.S. Take a look at the latest bans and levels of restrictions in this helpful NY Times tracker.

Five Ways to Honor Women's Equality Day

1. Make sure you are registered to vote! As women, it’s critical that we collectively take advantage of this important right. If you aren’t registered, please do so here right now.

   
   

2. Reflect on the gains we’ve made and the important work we still need to do. You can even create a customized version of this proclamation, courtesy of the National Women's History Alliance (NWHA). Check out other ideas here on their site.

   
   

3. Talk to the men and boys in your life about WHY women's equality is important for everyone in society--not just women. Share some of the resources and tools you find here with all of your allies--your male colleagues, your sons and nephews, your spouse/partner, your brother and anyone who cares about you. In fact, the women's rights movement was supported by men - the 'suffragents' - from the beginning. You can learn more about their involvement here thanks to Timeline. But the key point is that those allies were nearly always involved and engaged because they had a daughter, spouse, sister or lover who was an ardent supporter of the cause.

4. Support non-profits that promote equality and women's economic empowerment. At Wet Cement, we support Working for Women--donating a portion of our profits and time to support their work to provide women with the skills and support they need to overcome abuse, homelessness, joblessness and more.

5. Make a Bigger Impact within Your Organization.

Encourage your Employee Resource Group or Inclusion and Belonging Leaders to offer programming to help everyone thrive at work and gain access to all opportunities. Offer workshops, events, mentoring and more to help develop an equitable workplace.

Learn how Wet Cement can help make this easy for your team, at AdvanceWomenatWork.com.

Please let us know how you choose to celebrate Women’s Equality Day this year! Share a pic or story on Wet Cement’s Facebook or LinkedIn pages or e-mail us at info@wet-cement.com.