I hope you will join me by celebrating Women Equality Day today. Maybe you celebrated it with your work friends or in your family earlier today. I not only think of all of you today and the struggles of women throughout the ages to claim equal treatment, but I also think of my mother.
Today my mother would have been 105 years old. She lived to be 101, and hers was a life to be celebrated. But it was not an easy life. She witnessed her own mother die in the Spanish Flu pandemic when my mother and her sisters were only 2, 3 and 4 years old. They learned to be strong very early in their lives. They were blessed with a loving father and stepmother with a shared value in education, who made certain that those three women attended and graduated from college.
My Mom graduated from the University of Wisconsin in the 1930’s where she met my father, who was in law school during her undergraduate years. I am sure my father was attracted to her not only because of her beauty but also because she was a smart and independent woman, who would be an asset to his career. And she was. She taught high school English and Spanish until her first child was born, and she gave countless hours to charities throughout her life. At 95 years old, she was still editing the church newsletter, tutoring a friend’s grandchild in English composition, and correcting my grammar at every opportunity!
She was a force, and my father relied on her counsel and excellent instincts throughout his life. She vetted his employees, and she weighed in on the trustworthiness of some of his clients and opposing counsel. Dad always sought out the Ginny Seal of Approval.
These blessings fell to me. The example of a strong woman is one of the most important things we can give to our children. Not just our daughters but also our sons —- the ones we want to respect strong women and find a strong woman to enrich their lives. I have passed this example on to my daughter and my son, both of whom make me proud every day — not just as young lawyers but also because of their staunch independence and remarkable strength and perseverence.
And now I have a precious granddaughter and more work to do. It will be my pleasure to be an example of strength and competence and compassion to her as well. It is how we, as women, fight for our equality and the equality for all women to follow.
We still have a way to go. Women are not treated equally in all settings and for all purposes. But, we are making strides. This month we celebrated 100 years of women’s right to vote in America, and, more recently, we have made great strides toward equal pay, paid maternity leave, and advances for women in the areas of politics, medicine, law and business.
Let’s not forget our achievements, and let’s celebrate the amazing women in our lives. Every day and everywhere. And let’s not take any of it for granted.
