(Photo Courtesy of Joey Lee for Shutterstock) International Women’s day is March 8th. 

London Verdejo
Connector Staff

Women are the powerhouses of Earth. Women made many of our current technical advances. There are women who are leaders, fighters, artists, and innovators. Without women, contemporary society would not exist. And yet, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, women make 82 cents to every dollar a man makes.

Women have done so much for society, but society still makes them feel unsafe. Women are the backbone of society, but some people feel the need to kill them just for being women, with femicide rates being higher than average in Latin America according to the Global Americans Organization. Throughout history, society belittled and mistreated women, which is why celebrations such as Women’s History Month are so important. Now more than ever, we must listen to women’s voices and work as a society to reach equity between women and men.

Since 1995, the US celebrates Women’s History Month every March. In this month, many feminist academics educate people about the women who’ve made incredible contributions to society, as well as the struggles women face today. Women’s History Month is extremely important because it opens the conversation regarding worldwide women’s issues. For example, in Latin America and the US, there’s been an increase in femicide, which is the killing of a woman or girl by a man because of the victim’s gender. BIPOC women, trans women, and BIPOC trans women face even more violence in the US based on their intersectionality and transgender identity. Besides the violence, another problem women still face is how they need to fight to receive proper healthcare and safe contraceptive methods, as well as have the right to safe abortion.

If we want an open, accepting, empathetic and understanding society we must take the time to listen, see and understand what women are going through. Women’s History Month celebrations and events are the perfect introduction to these topics. Universities host forums with professors who specialize in feminist theory to educate the public. There are women influencers who dedicate their platform to educate people on women’s issues, such as Shanspeare—a YouTuber who discusses race and gender in media—and Abigail Thorn -known as Philosophy Tube on YouTube- a transgender British academic and actress who educates the public on topics such as feminism and LGBT+ rights using philosophy. There are many more resources like books, forums, documentaries and more.

During this month, I ask you to take a moment to reflect on the issues women face and how you could help improve quality of life for women. This could be something like correcting a friend when they say a sexist comment or joke, being there to listen to women and searching for more information.

Now more than ever I feel as though women need us to listen because, in some situations, their lives depend on it.