International Women’s Day is held annually on March 8th, a global day to celebrate the accomplishments of women while calling attention to struggles for gender equality worldwide. Despite much progress, inequality towards women still remains a big issue. At Cypress High School, students and staff say it’s a chance to look back on how gender expectations continue to affect young women and how our community can promote equality.
Senior Devan Forester said gender biases are present in everyday life. “Still to this day, there are a lot of biases and expectations toward women,” Forester said. “I know a lot of women who struggle with their identity, the way that they should dress or look to meet a certain standard. A lot of people’s relationship with femininity is disrupted because of it. They don’t feel like they are women enough if they don’t act in a certain way.” Forester added that comments made in class can sometimes reinforce stereotypes. “It makes women feel less capable of doing things.”
Another student also emphasized the importance of recognition and equal treatment. Senior Vinuthna Kuchibhotla said International Women’s Day is about acknowledging women’s efforts and potential. “It’s a day where every woman deserves recognition for the things that they do,” she said. “There is always something everyone is working for and women aren’t recognized to their full extent compared to men.” Kuchibhotla said students can promote equality by treating one another equally and avoiding limits based on gender.
Legal careers teacher Ms. Seana Brief said, “I try to be very neutral and not look at gender as a basis for grades, but in court when I used to be an attorney there was a lot of inequality.” According to Brief, many male judges dominated the courts at that time. The good news is there is a slow change in legal professions and there are more women than men in law school.” When asked about what more can be done to address these inequalities, she believes changes to the law are needed. Brief referenced the Equal Rights Amendment, which was proposed to ensure equal rights and equal pay for everyone, but it was never fully passed. “I think stronger laws should be made that prevents someone from getting paid differently when they have the same qualifications.” Brief suggested.
As International Women’s Day is recognized globally, Cypress High works on promoting respect and equal chance within our own school community. As Kuchibhotla said to young women, “Do whatever your heart tells you to do without getting impacted by people that try to stop you.”
