Underlying Exclusivity of Women’s History Month

“I don’t want to be the only woman. I want to be one of many.” - the Mercedes-Benz Group.

In 2023, the Mercedes-Benz Group released an ad for International Women’s Day titled “Be One of Many” about the normalization of women in male-dominated fields, rather than only appreciating exceptional women or those first to succeed. This mindset prevails in Women’s History Month, where famous women are singled out once a month but brushed to the side for the rest of the year. By assigning March as Women’s History Month, society continues to isolate women’s accomplishments by refusing to integrate them into mainstream, year-round historical discussions.

Dedicating one specific month to women’s history implies that the other months are reserved for men’s history. Students create vibrant presentations about notable women in March but spend the entire year learning about men’s contributions to human well-being, a subtle marker of sexism. Furthermore, keeping women’s history month assumes that women’s history is distinct from or alternative to mainstream history, rather than recognizing how women have contributed to societal development for centuries. Under the guise of inclusion, our society has further isolated women and deemed their accomplishments to not be on the same “level” as men’s accomplishments.

“Tokenism,” or the practice of making only a symbolic effort to appear inclusive rather than taking genuine steps to enact change, is deeply intertwined with Women’s History Month. Bulletin boards and social media are full of ads promoting female corporate leadership. But when it comes to making genuine change, companies will hesitate. After all, it’s easier to hand out free feminist merchandise than it is to enact policies that allow for equal pay, reduce gender discrimination in the workplace, or offer adequate maternity leave.

However, that doesn’t mean Women’s History Month wasn’t a crucial step towards inclusion and appreciation of women. Ultimately, some recognition is better than no recognition. Officially established by Congress in 1987, Women’s History Month was a progressive victory for advocates of gender equality. Yet, refusing to progress beyond the standard of 1987 doesn’t do justice to the thousands of women’s accomplishments. Numerous social advancements have occurred since the late 20th century — why shouldn’t women’s rights and history be celebrated or advanced accordingly?

Gradual incorporation of women’s history into mainstream discussion would remedy this issue and reduce their isolation. A study by the National Women’s History Museum found that less than 25% of historical figures studied in K-12 education are women, and about 53% of these discussions focus on women in domestic roles. While it’s impossible to restructure curricula and mindsets overnight, the conversation about highlighting women’s history to the same extent that we appreciate men’s history should begin. Change should start small, with people reframing their individual mindsets about women’s history.

Although Women’s History Month has remained an integral part of American history, gradually reshaping our society to appreciate women and their histories during the entire year is a necessary step in advancing gender equality. Corporations should move past just investing money in manufacturing vibrant feminist hoodies and ignoring women’s requests in the workplace to enacting tangible change. And if women compose about 50% of the world’s population, then they should have a similar prevalence in our history textbooks and classroom discussions. Because ultimately, Women’s History Month should become “one of many” months in which we respect women.