Women’s History Month: Why It Matters Now More Than Ever | Gender & Equality in 2024

March is Women’s History Month, and in a moment when progress toward gender equality feels increasingly fragile, the annual observance feels less like a celebratory tradition and more like a vital act of remembering – and resistance. The very need to dedicate a month to women’s history underscores a historical imbalance, a systemic erasure that began long before the formal recognition of the observance in 1987.

The roots of Women’s History Month are surprisingly local, beginning with an Education Task Force in Sonoma County, California, in 1978. Before that, history, as it was traditionally taught, largely centered on the political, military, and economic decisions made by men. Women’s contributions were often absent, relegated to footnotes, or entirely ignored. This prompted a reckoning, spurred by scholarship like Sheila Rowbotham’s 1973 work, “Hidden from History: 300 years of Women’s Oppression,” which began to illuminate the systemic forces that obscured women’s roles and experiences.

The Evolution of a “Gender Lens”

The initial focus of this historical recovery was simply to uncover the facts of women’s lives that had never been recorded. But as researchers like Rowbotham entered the social sciences, the field quickly expanded. It became clear that women’s history wasn’t just *about* women; it was fundamentally about the relationships between the sexes, and the pervasive influence of patriarchy and oppression. This realization led to the development of what’s now known as a “gender lens” – a critical framework for understanding the past and present through the experiences of gender, and recognizing how gender shapes power dynamics and social structures.

This approach wasn’t merely academic. In the late 20th century, scholars like Joey Sprague and Judith Howard, alongside myself, created the Gender Lens book series, dedicated to applying this framework across various disciplines. While feminist scholarship has advanced significantly since those early years, the work remains far from complete. Without consistently applying a gender lens, we risk perpetuating a patriarchal and misogynistic understanding of the world.

A Step Backwards: Current Threats to Gender Equity

Unfortunately, at this critical juncture, rather than building on these gains, there’s a concerted effort to dismantle the progress made toward gender equality. This isn’t simply a matter of stalled advancement; it’s an active rollback of rights and protections. Recent actions by the federal government are particularly concerning. In February 2026, vital information for reproductive health was removed from federal websites, limiting access to essential care. Perhaps even more damaging, the ADVANCE program – a decades-long initiative aimed at improving the status of women in STEM fields – has been ended, leaving only an archived site as evidence of its existence.

The economic realities for women are similarly deteriorating. While the wage gap between men and women narrowed throughout the 20th century, that progress has stalled. There’s even evidence suggesting the gap is widening again. The rising cost of childcare presents a significant barrier to women’s participation in the workforce, and women are disproportionately concentrated in lower-paying jobs.

Undermining Civil Rights and Workplace Protections

The situation is further exacerbated by voices advocating for the exclusion of women from the public sphere. The National Women’s Law Center has documented how the previous administration actively worked to undermine the very idea of gender equality, framing fairness as favoritism and discrimination as an acceptable norm. Through initiatives like Project 2025, there have been concerted efforts to weaken civil rights enforcement, overturn workplace protections, and dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. The consequences have been tangible, with many women losing jobs or being forced out of the workplace. The labor force participation rate of mothers with young children has declined rapidly, particularly among Black mothers, whose participation is now lower than it was before the pandemic.

Why Remembering Matters Now More Than Ever

Women’s History Month isn’t simply a nostalgic look back; it’s a crucial reminder of the battles fought and the progress made – and a call to action to defend those gains. To understand the present, we must understand the past. By unearthing women’s history and bringing it into contemporary conversations, One can retain hope alive and continue the fight for diversity, equity, and inclusion for all. Gender *does* matter – not just for understanding the past and present, but for creating a future where everyone has equal opportunity.

The Ongoing Need for Historical Context

The initial work of recovering women’s history, spearheaded by the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women and the National Women’s History Project (now the National Women’s History Alliance), was groundbreaking. It wasn’t just about adding women’s names to textbooks; it was about fundamentally reshaping our understanding of how societies function and who benefits from existing power structures. As the Office of Institutional Equity and Belonging at Sonoma State University notes, the movement began with a local celebration in Santa Rosa in 1978, aligning with International Women’s Day on March 8th, and quickly gained national momentum, culminating in a congressional declaration of March as Women’s History Month in 1987.

Although, the current political climate demonstrates that these hard-won gains are not secure. The systematic dismantling of programs designed to support women’s advancement, coupled with the erosion of legal protections, underscores the urgent need to reaffirm the importance of gender equality. Women’s History Month serves as a powerful reminder that progress is not linear, and that vigilance and advocacy are essential to ensuring a more just and equitable future.

Looking Ahead: Sustaining the Momentum

The preservation of women’s history, and the continued application of a gender lens to all areas of study and policy, are not merely academic exercises. They are essential tools for dismantling systemic inequalities and building a more inclusive society. Supporting organizations dedicated to women’s rights, advocating for policies that promote gender equity, and actively challenging patriarchal norms are all crucial steps. The fight for equality is ongoing, and remembering the past is the first step toward shaping a better future.