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REFLECTING ON GENDER EQUALITY
How we remember the past and how we can shape the future
Monday August 26th marked the 99th anniversary of the signing of the 19th amendment.
That day, now celebrated as Women's Equality Day, is when women were officially given the right to vote in the United States.
Today more opportunities are open to women than ever before, but representation can be slow to catch up. For example, across the country, there are 12 times as many statues honoring historic men as there are of women.
That may not seem like a big deal, but every time a child walks through a public park they look up at the proud and dignified faces of important men, a reminder of those figures’ achievements, but rarely do they look up to see the faces of important women. Representation is the first big step towards changing perceptions. Studies have shown that seeing yourself represented can increase confidence, help inform identity and give children, and even adults, role models and examples of what they can accomplish.
For instance, in Atlanta there are 56 statues of significant men, but only six of women.
Boston has made a concerted effort to recognize women with the "Boston Women's Memorial" but the memorial's statues honoring Abigail Adams, Phillis Wheatley and Lucy Stone only bring the total number of statues of women to 7 compared with 57 statues of men.
And perhaps surprisingly, San Francisco has fewer female statues than either city with a mere 4 statues of real women and 68 of men. Recently, legislators in San Francisco have taken note of this disparity. In an effort to correct the imbalance an ordinance has been proposed that would require 30% of new public art works to depict real-life women. But progress is slow, the first new statue featuring a woman won't be placed until 2020.
LOOKING FORWARD
While the disparity in male and female statues across the country is alarming it’s worth noting that it reflects the past. Going forward we all have the opportunity to not only recognize the importance of equal representation, but to do something about it.
The most important thing we can do is simple - vote. It's what the suffragettes fought for and why Women's Equality Day exists.
Beyond that we can all support equal opportunities for women in every aspect of society. For instance, while technology is driving the economy forward, less than 22% of computer programmers are female. The same is true for Fortune 500 boards, where just 20% of members are women. The world of entertainment is even further behind. Only 4 out of every 100 major film directors are women. And even though women consist of 40% of all sports players they receive a mere 4% of the sports media coverage.
Even small increases in these numbers can have a big effect on how women and their role in society are perceived.
ON WOMEN'S EQUALITY DAY A SERIES OF ART
INSTALLATIONS REFLECTED WHAT EQUALITY LOOKS LIKE.
Art installations in San Francisco, Atlanta and Boston highlighted the number of statues honoring historical males and females in that city and added the number of statues needed to show what equal representation would look like.
Each new statue, created by Hulu and CNN’s Brand Studio Courageous, represented women’s role in history and was made of mirrors. The mirrors gave people the chance to see themselves reflected in each statue, reminding visitors that while we cannot change the past we can shape the future.