The 95th anniversary of women’s right to vote was celebrated nationwide on Aug. 26.
Since 1971, the day has been known as National Women’s Equality Day. Joy Overtan, Memphis Area Women’s Council member, knows there have been many positive changes for women’s rights, but she knows there is still a lot that needs to done.
“Since women were allowed to vote 95 years ago, there have been many improvements for women,” Overtan said. “We have been able to run businesses, go to college and be more than just a child bearer. But even after the equality laws have been passed, women are still discriminated against just for being women.”
In 1919, the U.S. Congress passed a bill for women to be able to vote, but two-thirds of the states had to ratify the bill before it became a law. By August 1920, 35 states had ratified the bill — only one vote short of passing. It all came down to Tennessee’s vote.
The vote was split 48-48 with one member of the state legislator left to vote, Harry Burn. Everyone except his mother told Burn, who was youngest elected member of the state legislator at the age of 22, to vote against women’s rights. However, Burn valued his mother’s opinion and decided to vote in favor of women’s rights.
Almost a century after the law was passed, women are still fighting for equal rights.
“The right to vote only changed a small part of the lack of equality for women,” U of M Psychology junior Lisa Pies said.
Since 1980, more women have been going to voting booths, yet there are still only between 20 to 25 percent of all government leaders who are women, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
No woman has ever been elected as Memphis or Shelby County Mayor and only two of 13 current city council members in Memphis are women. In the state of Tennessee, less than 20 percent of state legislators are women, according to the National Conference of State Legislators.
“Women still are discriminated against just for being a woman,” Pies said. “I think the only way we are really going to make a big change for women’s rights is to have a women president.”
Another way women are still fighting discrimination is through equal pay. After the Equal Pay Act of 1963 was passed, discriminating against someone based on their sex was made illegal.
The U.S. Census Bureau shows that women make $.78 for every $1 that men make. Jaylen King, a sophomore business management major thinks pay should be solely based on the work and have nothing to do with a person’s gender.
“I think it’s stupid that in the 21st century people still think that men are better than women,” King said. “I feel like if a woman can do the same job that a man can do, then she should get paid the same. People are people and it shouldn’t matter about gender, pay should just be based on their ability to do the job.”
