By Maria Odenbaugh
March is Women’s History Month. It is a time to celebrate and show appreciation for the growth of a sex that has been discriminated against and shunned away, especially in education.
Being part of a generation where women are starting to take over the “man’s world” and show equality feels exciting but also still worrisome. Although women are allowed to vote and have some basic human rights, there is not enough appreciation for women who value their higher education despite the sacrifices.
It’s been more than 150 years since women decided higher education was an important path for them to take.
According to The Hechinger Report, 60% of United States college students are women. Some of those women have full time jobs, kids and a family to raise.
Women are able to receive an education and graduate with degrees and we owe that to the generation of women who have made sacrifices for what they believe we deserve.
The gender educational gap is closing.
I am able to value my post high school education because of women who are valuing their education no matter the sacrifices they have to make. I did not realize this until I became a community college student.
Women of all ages, backgrounds and different stories are learning with me. Getting to know teachers and students over the past years that have children, work full time and experienced modern day sexism has motivated me immensely.
They radiate motivation for young women.
As a full time student in my twenties, who doesn’t have the same amount of responsibilities, I feel inspired by these women.
What about the young girls in primary school? We have to educate them on these women.
Inspirational hard working women that shaped this nation. They need more knowledge of the important historic women who allowed their mothers, aunts and sisters to gain a degree.
Growing up there seemed to be no history lessons on specific significant women who changed the history of America. From elementary school to high school history classes, the slave owning, sexist male figures were always taught. Having that huge gender gap in my education, left me uneducated on the history of my sex.
Katherine Johnson, Dorthy Vaughan and Mary Jackson were all NASA “human computers” behind launching the first man into space, yet, their names are not brought up in the history of space travel as much as the male astronauts.
We need to get to a point in our school systems to have equal understanding of the accomplishments of men and women.
There is not enough representation of women who teach young students about the history of our nation.
The growth women have made in education won’t last long if young girls are not taught the history of important women in our society.
