Women's Inequality Day

August 26, otherwise known as Women's Equality Day, marks the anniversary of the certification of the 19th Amendment, which granted some women the right to vote.

Yet today, women have fewer rights than they'd had in decades. To recognize this, we acknowledge Women's Inequality Day.

Empowering Women Voters in 2024

Women still aren’t equal under the law. 

2024 Social Toolkit

Inequality impacts our health: although women pay $15 million more each year for health care than men, we spend more of our lives in poor health. Those who may experience pregnancy no longer have reproductive freedom; and when we do give birth, we (particularly women of color) face high rates of maternal mortality. 

It impacts our work: we’re paid less than our male counterparts and are underrepresented in leadership roles. We also deal with workplace harassment, insufficient maternal leave, and disproportionate caretaking responsibilities that affect our ability to work. 

It impacts our representation: women are severely underrepresented in politics, making up only 25% of the Senate, 29% of the House, and 31.9% of statewide elective executives.  

How can we make policies that protect and serve women without more women in office? And in an age where our basic freedoms and bodily autonomy are under fire, how can we ensure our rights aren’t degraded further? 

The 2024 federal election was a critical moment in the fight for our equality. 

Our 2024 campaign centered around empowering women to make their voices heard at the ballot box by equipping them with essential voter information. We highlighted our free, bilingual one-stop-shop for nonpartisan election information, VOTE411.org.

This year's campaign was recognized by the Anthem Awards, winning a "Bronze" award for "Campaign - Nonprofit."

Demanding Congressional Action in 2023

Throughout August 2023, we engaged in a digital campaign demanding that lawmakers restore and protect our rights by:

1. Passing voting rights legislation;
2. Adding the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution; and 
3. Restoring reproductive rights to women and those who can become pregnant. and encouraging people to sign our petition sharing our wish list for women's equality. 

Throughout the month, 5.1k people sent letters to Congress demanding they take a stand for equality.

Our CEO, Virginia Kase Solomón, discussed the effort with podcasts like Madam Policy and Electorette, and wrote an op-ed featured in The Fulcrum. Partners and members of the public also shared videos describing what women's equality means to them.

Raising Our Digital Voices in 2022

In 2022, we partnered with women leaders in democracy to create digital content promoting reproductive rights, the Equal Rights Amendment, and voting rights for women.

Our Ad

35 women-run organizations in the equal and voting rights movements joined us in publishing a full-page ad in the Washington Post to acknowledge Women's Inequality Day. Several also joined us in the above video, calling on our leaders to commit to equitable change.