In 1987, Congress declared March to be National Women’s History Month. This holiday honors women that have made an impact in American history. Students and staff at school share their opinion on this national holiday.

AP U.S History teacher Michelle Nickeson

Q: What woman in history inspires you and why?

A: “The woman I am obsessed with right now is Ida B. Wells. She was an African American woman who was active during the Progressive era. She just wore so many hats and did so many things in life. She was active in the suffrage movement and was very opposed to the middle class white women who didn’t want to look at race and put it on the back burner. As an African American woman, she said that they can’t do that. I think it’s people like that, that really enact change and open people’s lives.”

Q: What traits make an inspiring woman?

A: “I think the traits of an inspiring woman are similar to traits of anybody. I get really inspired with people who stand up for what they believe in, even if it puts them in danger in some way; physical or intellectual danger. Even if society rejects them or they get fired from their job, but they still stay true to what they believe, that is very inspiring.”

Q: How does it feel to be a woman in this society?

A: “I think it is getting better because women and all people who want to see true gender equality are fighting for that. I think that people who want that gender equality, but just sit back and take it easy, I don’t think that progress is guaranteed; it has to be worked for. I was lucky to grow up in a house where I could be anything I wanted to be, so I’ve never dealt with explicit sexism. But at the same time, I feel the societal pressure of being 30 and having no children, and I think that’s the product of me being a women.”

Q: Do you think that women are underrepresented in any aspects of modern American life? If so, how can we make a change?

A: “Women are absolutely underrepresented. If you look at the number of women in senate and congress it’s definitely less than 50 percent. If we had accurate representation it would be 50:50, and it’s not. I think we can make a change by talking about it. People don’t like talking about uncomfortable situations like gender inequality. It’s just one of those things you have to get over; we have to bring it in the open otherwise things will never change. We have to be OK with feeling uncomfortable because it opens our mind and [helps us] be acceptable to exploring new ideas.”

Q: Do you think National Women’s History month is important?

A: “I am for the month absolutely. I think for the classically underrepresented groups, it’s this idea that ‘oh we’ve achieved equality, so we don’t need a month anymore.’ First of all, I don’t think equality has been achieved; we’ve made great strides toward it, but it has not been achieved. We need to overemphasize something to make up for decades and centuries of underemphasis and so I think Women’s History Month does highlight and teach people about women history that they might not have previously.”

AP English 3 Nicole Perkins

Q: What woman in history inspires you and why?

A: “Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a speaker and author. One of her most inspiring pieces to me was We Should All Be Feminist. She just very eloquently puts it out there that this is an idea that will benefit everyone. It’s something that I try to live by and it’s something that I get everyone to adopt that as well.”

Q: What traits make an inspiring woman?

A: “I think if you are willing to stand your ground and really stand up for whatever you believe in. I think that’s pretty inspiring. Sometimes that’s hard to do especially for people who are trying to go against you, whatever your beliefs may be. It’s sometimes easier to just go with the flow essentially and not really keep your ground, so I think that’s pretty inspiring.”

Q: How does it feel to be a woman in this society?

A: “Historically speaking, we have it OK right now. It could be better, there’s always room for improvement, but I do feel that we are underrepresented, and that could be for various different reasons, but it would be nice to see women in places where they usually aren’t.”

Q: Do you think that women are underrepresented in any aspects of modern American life? If so, how can we make a change?

A: “We have got to get out of the past. There’s still that mentality that women are the weaker sex and we shouldn’t have certain jobs; it’s just changing that mentality so that people need to be willing to put themselves out. Like if I know I’m going for a job and it’s going to be that much harder for me because I am a woman, it’s going to deter people, and it’s going to deter young women from pursuing that job.”

Q: Do you think National Women’s History month is important?

A: “I think National Women’s History month is important. There’s more ways that we can celebrate it and discuss it, but just the idea that it is being recognized is a step in the right direction. But I do think it’s important to include all types of woman, because historically speaking, we tend to only focus on one group of woman instead of all woman.”

Junior Syeda Rizvi

Q: What woman in history inspires you and why?

A: “Malala Yousafzai is a woman that inspires me, because she is the epitome of girl power. She refuses to feel sorry for herself and instead faces challenges head on. I wish I could embody that.”

Q: What traits make an inspiring woman?

A: “An inspiring woman should be kind, strong and smart.”

Q: How does it feel to be a woman in this society?

A: “Being a woman in this society is obviously better than it was to be a woman 50 years ago, but there are still issues that need to be resolved. Our society needs to adjust its traditional view of women and realize that women are so much more than we’ve anticipated them to be.”

Q: Do you think that women are underrepresented in any aspects of modern American life? If so, how can we make a change?

A: “Women are definitely underrepresented in modern American society. Women are still paid less for doing the same jobs as men and there is very little representation for women in government. The wage gap confuses me because there’s absolutely no reason for women to be paid less than men, so we need to get rid of that as soon as possible. As far as women in government go, I think America as a whole needs to stop being scared of powerful women.”

Q: Do you think National Women’s History month is important?

A: Women’s History Month is very important because it’s a reminder of the struggles women have faced over the years and how much they’ve achieved through sheer perseverance and determination. It’s also a motivator for women today because it pushes women to believe in themselves and reach their full potential.

Junior Faith McGilvray

Q: What woman in history inspires you and why?

A: “Esther inspires me the most. She was a queen in Persia around 400 B.C. who ended up saving an entire people group. She was inspiring in the way she courageously trusted God and confronted the king, her husband, even when wives weren’t usually supposed to do that. When she confronted the king, she had the possibility of being executed, but she went through with her plan and saved all the Jews living in Persia. That shows the strength of a woman relying on God and being courageous.”

Q: What traits make an inspiring woman?

A: “A woman who follows God with all her heart and is humble, courageous, compassionate, and confident is an inspiring woman.”

Q: How does it feel to be a woman in this society?

A: “In this society, most of the time it is great to be a woman. I think that women are sometimes underestimated or underrepresented in certain aspects of society, but for the most part I think they are well represented. Society is getting to a place where women are respected and people can see the value and uniqueness God places and gives to both men and women.”

Q: Do you think that women are underrepresented in any aspects of modern American life? If so, how can we make a change?

A: “I’m sure there are still certain social aspects where women are not given as great of opportunities, but I have been blessed so that pretty much everything I am involved in includes the women well. In church and school, I feel like women are respected and given great opportunities. I think I have been given great experiences and training to give me a bright future.”

Q: Do you think National Women’s History month is important?

A: “I think this month is important, especially for women, to see where this society has come from and the ways that women have stepped up in the past to fulfill their God-given purpose.”