Women's rights movement marks 155th year

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. Cassandra Haines-Jessel
  • 341st Space Wing
This year marks the 155th anniversary of the women's rights movement in the United States.

It began in 1848 in a small town in New York when five women got together for tea. The conversation soon turned to the limitations on their lives and before they knew it, they were planning a convention to discuss the "rights of women."

Since that time, other important events have shaped the lives of women in our country:

The Woman Suffrage Amendment was introduced in the U. S. Congress in 1878. The wording remained unchanged and didn't pass both houses until 1919.

The 19th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution was ratified in 1920, and women were granted the right to vote.

In 1948, President Truman signed into law the Women's Armed Services Integration Act, giving women permanent status in the armed forces. No longer would special women's "components" be formed for the duration of military emergencies. However, at the same time, it restricted promotions and established a 2 percent ceiling on the number of women in each of the services.

President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Public Law 90-130 in 1967 that repealed such restrictions on women's promotions.

In 1980, President Carter issued a message to the public encouraging them to recognize and celebrate women's historic accomplishments during the week of March 8, Women's History Week.

A bipartisan effort in Congress in 1987 led to a National Women's History Month Resolution and, since 1992, a presidential proclamation directing observance of this important national celebration. For more than 140 years, women have served in all major U. S. military conflicts.

"American military women did just about everything on land, at sea and in the air (during the Persian Gulf War) except engage in the actual fighting," said retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Jeanne M. Holm, "and even there the line was often blurred. It was obvious from the beginning that the front lines were not what they used to be and non-combat units regularly took casualties.".

During that conflict, five women were killed in action and two were prisoners of war.

Today, in the Air Force, women represent 19.5 percent of the people in the service. And throughout the Air Force, Women's History Month committees are making efforts during the month of March to remind the community of this year's theme: "Women Pioneering the Future."