It's Women's Equality Day !

Today is Women's Equality Day in the United States. Back in 1971, the United States Congress passed a resolution making every August 26th Women's Equality Day. Here is what that resolution said:

WHEREAS, the women of the United States have been treated as second-class citizens and have not been entitled the full rights and privileges, public or private, legal or institutional, which are available to male citizens of the United States; and

WHEREAS, the women of the United States have united to assure that these rights and privileges are available to all citizens equally regardless of sex; and

WHEREAS, the women of the United States have designated August 26, the anniversary date of the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, as symbol of the continued fight for equal rights: and

WHEREAS, the women of United States are to be commended and supported in their organizations and activities,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that August 26th of each year is designated as Women’s Equality Day, and the President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation annually in commemoration of that day in 1920, on which the women of America were first given the right to vote, and that day in 1970, on which a nationwide demonstration for women’s rights took place.

I have a couple of questions. If Congress realized back in 1971 that women should be equal to men, and that would be good not only for women but for the country, then why are we still debating this issue in the Twenty-First Century -- more than 40 years later? How is it that women still do not have equal pay for equal work, and still don't have full control over all their health decisions and their own bodies?

It is outrageous that the United States, a country that celebrates its belief in freedom and equality, still treats women as second-class citizens. It's time for women, and the men who love them, to take some advice offered by the courageous women in the picture above -- don't support any political party that doesn't support full equality for women (and we all know which political party that is).

The images in this post are from calendar-printable.com.