Saturday, September 18th, marked the one year anniversary of former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death. Over the course of her career, RBG – as she’s affectionately known by many – played an integral role in several landmark cases that advanced gender equality, including Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Reed v. Reed, and Wienberger v. Wiesenfeld. She was also a major advocate for women’s reproductive rights.
RGB’s stance on women’s rights and gender equality was clear: “Women will have achieved true equality when men share with them the responsibility of bringing up the next generation.”
Unfortunately, in the year since her death, very little – if any – progress has been made to continue the work RBG did to advance women’s rights. In fact, it currently appears that we may be reversing her progress.
Legislation Disenfranchising Women
The Equality Act has yet to be passed. The House voted in February to pass the bill, but it has not yet been approved in the Senate. According to an NPR article by Danielle Kurtzleben, if passed, the bill would “…amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to explicitly prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.” Many Republicans are against the bill, “…fearing it would infringe upon religious objections,” Kurtzleben writes. As a result of these fears, it is technically not illegal to discriminate on the basis of gender.
Several Republican states have cracked down on abortion rights as of late. Texas recently passed legislation that bans abortions after six weeks and allows people who assist in someone receiving an abortion – doctors, Uber drivers, friends, family, etc. – to be sued by anyone. The state is permitting any basic citizen to go headhunting in order to capitalize on a woman’s health crisis. The Supreme Court refused to overturn this, demonstrating to other states that should they wish to enact similar laws, they will receive no backlash from the federal courts.
Women Leaving the Workforce
The pandemic continues to have a more negative overall impact on women than men. Many women have been the first to leave work to remain at home as caregivers, creating further disparities in the gender pay gap and disrupting the fragile balance of men and women in positions of leadership.
Assault Against Women on the Rise
Sexual assault cases are rampant on college campuses. We are seeing more and more college-aged boys get away with sexual assaults on their female peers. As classes have resumed over the last month, several student protests against sexual assault allegations have made the news. According to a University Business article, “Auburn University, the University of Kansas, the University of Iowa, Wichita State University, Eastern Michigan University and the University of Nebraska have all been swept up in accusations that crimes may have occurred on campuses—in residence halls, at football games, at fraternity houses and even in libraries.”
The United States prides itself on being built on a foundation of freedom and equality, but freedom and equality for everyone simply isn’t the reality in America today. Stop and think for a moment. Look around you at the society that we live in. What are we doing? How did this backwards landslide begin? What can we do to get back on the road to progress?
It takes more than a social media post, more than a blog, more than a conversation. It takes people like Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who aren’t willing to stay quiet about injustice, and it takes people like those reading this blog. Achieving gender equality will only be done through the collective effort of women, men, politicians, and organizations speaking out and taking action.
RBG cannot be a novelty in the fight for women’s rights. We cannot allow ourselves to sit back and wait for someone else to pick up where she left off. Recognize what is happening around you, and be a part of the solution. Boss Talk was created to be a catalyst for change, and that will continue to be our mission until gender equality is truly achieved.
Several resources are linked below this article. We encourage you to take a look at them and learn more about women’s rights and how you can join the fight.
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Resources
https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/discrimination/womens-rights/
https://www.aclu.org/issues/womens-rights
Articles about the events in this blog
https://www.npr.org/2021/09/20/1039122713/doctor-texas-abortion-sued
https://www.npr.org/2021/02/24/969591569/house-to-vote-on-equality-act-heres-what-the-law-would-do
