Bill Swan, Principal Consultant
March is Women’s History Month
Leaders. Daughters. Athletes. Sisters. Scientists. Mothers. Artists. Aunts. Warriors. Grandmothers. Peacemakers. No matter the label, women have contributed to the excellence of humanity throughout history. In March, the world honors them.
What began in connection to International Women’s Day (March 8) which started officially in 1911, developed into a week of celebration in 1978 in Sonoma, California. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued a presidential proclamation declaring the week of March 8 as National Women’s History Week and recognized “the achievements, leadership, courage, strength and love of the women who built America was as vital as the men whose names we know so well.”
In 1987, the United States congress passed a joint resolution to recognize “American women of every race, class, and ethnic background have made historical contributions to the growth and strength of the Nation in countless recorded and unrecorded ways…” Annual presidential proclamations have maintained March as Women’s History Month since 1980. Each year has a theme, which for 2023 is Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories, and to recognize past and present “women who have been active in all forms of media and storytelling including print, radio, TV, stage, screen, blogs, podcasts, news and social media.”
In the US, women have made considerable advances in education, now earning more bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and doctorate degrees than men. Workplace participation is still higher than decades ago but has declined since 1999 and was especially hit hard from the pandemic, and still recovering. While women hold most of the management and professional occupations, they only make up about 8% of Fortune 500 CEO positions and 26% of Board seats.
More than a decade ago, our own leader, Amanda Mayo, followed her dream to create a new style of Human Resources. Weary of the traditionally rigid, top-down HR approach, and inspired by strong women around her, she created FIT HR to serve small and medium sized organizations throughout the greater Seattle area. Our firm is proud to be certified by the Washington State Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises. Amanda and her team continue to inspire entrepreneurial growth through inclusion, diversity, and excellence in daily business practices.
Some ways your organization can participate in celebrating Women’s History Month:
- Recognize women from the past who impacted your organization. Name them and share some stories.
- Do something meaningful to recognize women from the current staff impacting the organization.
- Invite staff to write and submit stories of important women in their own lives and make an appropriate place where they can be shared.
Good HR practices help an organization provide equal opportunities for people, regardless of gender or other classifications. If you need some help in reviewing your policies, practices, data, management, and plans, we may be able to help.
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