In spite of complaints about the supposed wage gap and under-representation of women in top corporate positions, it is important that we conclude Women’s History Month with consideration of the very real gains that women have made in a very short period of time. It doesn’t seem far-fetched to assume that the gains will continue into this century at a similar pace.

In 1970, the crest of the women’s movement and the 50th anniversary of the proclamation of the 19th Amendment, Time magazine cited the goal of women liberationists as "equal pay for equal work, and a chance at jobs traditionally reserved for men only." At the time, there were 10 female Representatives and one Senator in Congress. Thirty years later, we have 58 female Representatives and nine Senators.

More impressive, in the upcoming elections, women are seeking four of the 11 Senate seats and six of the 18 House seats that are considered the most competitive. But it’s a mistake to look only at a number, note that it isn’t the same as the corresponding number for men, and cry discrimination. Attention must be paid to the process by which equity comes about.

For example, the number of female partners in law firms, significantly lower than the number of male partners, does not necessarily herald discrimination. Even excluding personal life choice, the apparent inequity is more likely to be representative of how many women received law degrees 20 or 30 years ago. In 1970, only five percent of law degrees were awarded to women. But by 1996, the percentage had risen to 43 percent. It would be logical then to expect near equal female representation among law firm partners in 20 or 30 years, not now. Meanwhile, women have gained similar educational preparation in all professional fields.

According to the Independent Women’s Forum, the majority of associates, bachelors, and masters degrees is awarded to women, as well as 40 percent of doctorates. Half of all law students and medical students are women. In 1970, a woman needed a college degree to earn more than a man with an eighth grade education. Today that wage gap has virtually disappeared.

Although the oft quoted number is 75 cents to the dollar, if this is adjusted for factors such as occupation, education, experience, and consecutive years in the work force, women make approximately 97 cents to the male dollar. In some instances, women actually bring home more than their male counterparts. According to a Working Woman survey, women CEOs at mid-size advertising firms earn $10,000 more than men in equivalent positions. But perhaps the most significant gain has been women’s freedom to follow their own choices.

Women start businesses at twice the rate of men, and the number of women-owned businesses has more than doubled in the last 10 years. Girls’ sports programs have transformed the face of professional athletics. It is no longer conventional and expected for a woman to marry and have children early, or even at all.

Women’s History Month acknowledges and celebrates women like Lucretia and Elizabeth Cady Stanton who led the first major effort on behalf of women in 1848 in Seneca Falls. There should also be an acknowledgment and celebration of the power and success that women have gained over the past 30 years. Denying the significance of those gains is an insult, both to the strong women who began the women’s rights movement, and to the strong women who personify its success today.

–Joanna Elachi

Public Policy Fellow