FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 26, 2024
CONTACT:
Yanci Nuñez | ynunez@alianzaamericas.org (773) 638-4278
Alianza Americas, a network of organizations led by immigrants of Latin American and Caribbean origin in the United States, celebrates Women's Equality Day as an opportunity to insist on the need for persistent work and advocacy to continue advancing towards women's equality at home, in the workplace, in the community and in leadership roles.
When the 19th Amendment took effect in 1920, it gave for the first time a semblance of fuller inclusion in the polity to women in the United States who since the birth of the nation had been systematically excluded from the right to vote amid countless other forms of oppression. One century later, women continue to fight for equal rights on many fronts and to defend the hard won gains which remain under daily threat.
White women may have won the right to vote in 1920, but discrimination on the basis of race continued to deny that right to African American, Native American, Asian American and Latina women. Also, many other rights remained elusive. Until the passage of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act in 1974, banks could deny credit to women. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 finally outlawed discrimination and unequal treatment, such as firing a person for becoming pregnant. Even worse, women were often trapped in a bad marriage they might want to leave until the slow emergence of no-fault divorce laws in states around the country. The first one was passed in California in 1969 under then-Governor Ronald Reagan, but the last state to pass such a law was New York, 41 years later in 2010! Even today, public debates continue on the role of women within the home, in the workplace and in the community. Women continue to face attacks based on the exercise of their right to bodily autonomy, including when and how to be mothers and the families that they have. Their reproductive rights continue to be infringed and limited. We are observing worrisome regressions that impact on the lives and health of women.
In spite of advances in politics, women are not half of the elected officials, even though they are half of the electors. Positive discrimination measures such as quota laws continue to be necessary to ensure equal opportunities and outcomes for women, particularly in regards to their political rights. In this election season, we must educate about and promote the right to vote. It allows us to elect representatives who will defend and extend legal protections and political and social freedoms for women and other groups, including LGBTQIA+ people, immigrants, and religious groups of all stripes including non-believers, among others. Women's Equality Day is an opportunity to reflect on past struggles and continue fighting towards equality and equity.
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Alianza Americas is the premier transnational advocacy network of Latin American migrant-led organizations working in the United States, across the Americas, and globally to create an inclusive, equitable and sustainable way of life for communities across North, Central and South America.
