Since the 1980s, March has been dedicated to Women’s History Month to celebrate the contributions women have made to society throughout history. Everyone has remarkable women in their families worthy of acknowledgment and celebration, and Ancestry® can assist with documenting and discovering the impressive, empowering stories hiding in your family tree. Women’s History Month stories are meant to help you highlight the achievements of the women in your past. 

But how did Women’s History Month gain traction over the past several decades and become the worldwide celebration it is today? The celebration is loaded with remarkable dates and interesting facts. 

Women’s History Month Origins

Women’s History Month was first introduced as Women’s History Week in Santa Rosa, California, in 1978. Organizers chose to hold it in early March to align with International Women’s Day, a global celebration that started on March 8, 1911, when 15,000 women marched through New York City to demand shorter hours, better pay, and voting rights. Although Women’s History Week was not initially intended to be a recurring annual event, communities nationwide began organizing their own celebrations. Many feminist activists and organizations started lobbying to create a National Women’s History Week. 

In 1979, the Women’s Action Alliance, an organization founded by Gloria Steinem, Brenda Feigen, and Dorothy Pitman-Hughes, and the Smithsonian Institution co-sponsored a 15-day conference at Sarah Lawrence College to raise awareness about women’s history. Their efforts resulted in President Jimmy Carter’s signing a presidential proclamation in 1980 to declare the week of March 2-8 National Women’s History Week. 

In 1987, the National Women’s History Project, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and celebrating women’s history, led a campaign to have the entire month of March declared National Women’s History Month. The motion was passed by Congress, making Women’s History Month official. 

 Important Moments in the History of Women’s Rights

When women’s rights are human rights, those at the forefront of the battle become historical heroes and Women’s History Month offers the perfect opportunity to reflect on and honor their contributions. As abolitionists, civil rights leaders, suffragists, labor activists, advocates for reproductive rights, and champions of racial justice and LGBTQI+ rights, women have been on the frontline of the fight for equal rights. With the overruling of Roe vs. Wade in June 2022, this is a battle that is far from over and women across the nation are advocating tirelessly to ensure access to basic reproductive healthcare. The United States’ Women’s History Month is one part of a broader global movement advocating for women’s rights that stretches back several centuries. It has involved many noteworthy moments and continues to this day.

• Seneca Falls Convention: Several activists, including Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, gathered in Seneca Falls, New York, on July 19, 1848, and launched the woman suffrage movement in the United States. 
• First International Women’s Day: On March 19, 1911, International Women’s Day was first celebrated in several countries, including Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, and Germany. Over a million people gathered at rallies demanding that women be allowed to work, vote, be trained, and hold public office. It also asked for an end to discrimination against women. 
• Women’s Suffrage Movement and 19th Amendment: The women’s suffrage movement in America began in the mid-19th century and, after much persistence, the 19th Amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920, granting most American women the right to vote.
• World War II: Women played a significant role during World War II. They were involved in several aspects of the war effort. Millions of women took jobs in factories and volunteered for the Red Cross. Over 200,000 women served in the military. United Nations Declaration of Human Rights: On December 10, 1948, the United Nations adopted the Declaration of Human Rights. This was the first international document recognizing men and women as equals. The Equal Rights Amendment was approved by the U.S. Senate in 1972. It is designed to guarantee equal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex but, to this day, the amendment failed to gather sufficient ratifications from state legislatures. Twenty-five states have since passed their own state equal rights amendments.
• First World Conference on Women: The first World Conference on Women, held in Mexico City in 1975, identified three objectives for the following decades: full gender equality and the elimination of gender discrimination, the integration and full participation of women in development, and an increased contribution by women towards strengthening world peace. It also established a World Plan of Action to reach these objectives.
• International Bill of Rights for Women: The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women was approved by the UN General Assembly on December 18, 1979, and ratified by 189 parties by 2017. 
• Fourth World Conference on Women: Held in Beijing, China, from September 4-15 in 1995, the fourth World Conference on Women officially declared women’s rights as human rights. The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was adopted by 189 countries to advance women’s rights worldwide. 
• Women’s March on Washington: On January 21, 2017, the Women’s March on Washington became the largest international demonstration to support women’s rights. Marches were held in cities worldwide, including Paris, Bangkok, and Buenos Aires. 

Women’s Representation in the Workplace

Advancements in women’s rights led to more women accessing higher education and entering the workforce. Between 1970 and 2019, the proportion of college-educated women in the workforce quadrupled and, as of 2019, 57.4% of all women were employed. The percentage of women in the workforce varies greatly depending on the industry. For example, women account for over 88% of all registered nurses and 80% of elementary and middle school teachers. However, while they hold prominent positions in many industries, they only represent 36% of lawyers and 27% of chief executives. 

Other occupational statistics for women’s representation include:

• Software developers: 18%
• Accountants and auditors: 61%
• Leisure and hospitality: 51%
• Manufacturing: 29%
• Agriculture: 26%
• Construction: 10%
• Transportation and utilities: 24%
• Mining: 15%

Some Remarkable American Women 

There have been countless incredible women throughout history who have made significant societal contributions and paved the way for other women. Take a look at this Women’s History Month list of names to keep on your radar. 

Sacagawea

A young Lemhi Shoshone woman from the west, Sacagawea was an interpreter and explorer, who served as aguide for the Lewis and Clark expedition, which  mapped out the western territories of what is now the United States in the 19th century. She was also skilled at finding medicine and food to keep Lewis and Clark alive throughout their journey.

Clara Barton

As one of the most notable women in the Civil War, Clara Barton was referred to as the “Angel of the Battlefield” for risking her life to bring supplies to wounded soldiers. She founded the American Red Cross at 59 and served as its president until her death at 83. 

Harriet Tubman

After escaping slavery herself, the abolitionist Harriet Tubman rescued over seventy enslaved people using the Underground Railroad. She was also a member of the women’s suffrage movement. 

Helen Keller

Helen Keller lost her sight and hearing when she was a toddler and later became the first person with blindness and deafness to effectively communicate with the sighted and hearing world. She subsequently became a disability rights activist and an acclaimed author. 

Eleanor Roosevelt

As the wife of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt was the longest-serving first lady of the United States. As the United States Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly, she played a key role in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 

Patsy Mink

Born in Hawaii in 1927, Patsy Mink was a third-generation Japanese American who became the first woman of color and the first Asian American elected to Congress. In 1971, she was also the first Asian American woman to run for President. She was instrumental in passing bills like Title IX, the Early Childhood Education Act, and the Women’s Educational Equity Act. 

Toni Morrison

The novelist and essayist Toni Morrison is the first African-American woman to receive the Nobel Prize in literature. She also won a Pulitzer Prize for her novel Beloved and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. 

Sandra Day O’Connor

In 1981, Sandra Day O’Connor was sworn in by President Ronald Reagan to serve as the first woman on the Supreme Court. Her appointment was groundbreaking for women in the legal field, and she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2009. 

Sally K. Ride

An astronaut and a physicist, Sally K. Ride was both the youngest American astronaut and the first American woman to fly in space, as well as the first known LGBTQI+ astronaut.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

As a lawyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg championed women’s rights. She was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton in 1993 and became the first Jewish American woman to serve on the Court. 

Sonia Sotomayor

In 1992, Sonia Sotomayor became the youngest judge in the Southern District and the first Hispanic Federal judge in New York State. In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed her to the United States Supreme Court, making her the third woman and the first Hispanic person to be appointed. 

Laverne Cox

Actress and advocate Laverne Cox was the first openly transgender person nominated for an Emmy award. As an LGBTQI+ activist, she works tirelessly to promote visibility and awareness on behalf of the transgender community.

Hillary Rodham Clinton

The former First Lady became the first woman to win a presidential nomination by a major US party and to run for President in 2016. 

Sharice Davids

In 2018, Sharice Davids became one of the first two Native American women to serve on Congress and is also the first openly LGBTQI+ congress member from Kansas. 

Nicolle Gonzales

Gonzales, a Navajo nurse and midwife, founded the first Native American-led birth organization in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Known as The Changing Women Initiative, her organization provides culturally sensitive healthcare support to Native American mothers to decolonize birth experiences and lower Native American birth mortality.

Other Women You May Not Know About

Other women have also significantly impacted society in their own ways. Kalpana Chawla was the first woman of Indian descent to fly to space after becoming a mission specialist for NASA on the space shuttle “Columbia” in 1997. 

As the first-ever Asian-American movie star, Anna May Wong starred in over 50 domestic and foreign films and earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 

Judith Heumann was a disability rights activist who fought to increase accessibility by pushing to pass the Rehabilitation Act and raising global awareness of disability rights.

Grace Brewer Murray Hopper served as a naval officer and is best known for her contributions to computer programming and software development. She served as part of a team working on the IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator, the first electromechanical computer in the nation and wrote the 561-page user manual for it.

Women’s History Month Worldwide Celebrations

Each year, a new Women’s History Month theme is chosen to celebrate women’s achievements. Past themes have included women in public service and government, media, and storytelling, and those who have championed peace and nonviolence. However, every country has its own way of celebrating Women’s History Month. 

• Italy: Women give each other small yellow mimosas, a type of flower, to signify female solidarity.
• China: Employers are encouraged to give women a half-day off from work on March 8, and it is traditional to celebrate women and give them presents. 
• United Kingdom: The UK hosts a Women of the World festival, which features speakers, activists, and performers raising awareness about issues faced by women globally. 
• Australia: On March 8, the country hosts various panel discussions and events with prominent women across industries publicly encouraging more representation, diversity, and equality. 
• Argentina: Mass protests are typically held to speak up about several key issues, including the pay gap and social change. 

Holding these events and demonstrations continues to raise awareness about some of the issues women still face today. 

How to Celebrate Women’s History Month

Celebrate Women’s History Month by learning more about the remarkable women in your family. For instance, searching for your mother’s or grandmother’s maiden name may uncover a whole branch of the family tree you didn’t know about or exploring women’s history with Ancestry can reveal connections to women who shaped history. You can also look up local Women’s History Month events to attend to learn more about the issues impacting women. 

Women’s History Month is an important time to highlight women’s achievements, raise awareness about issues impacting their rights, and celebrate women worldwide. Find out more about your female ancestors by starting a free trial with Ancestry today.