Suffragette City

Women couldn’t vote nationally in the U.S. until 1920. While the Civil Rights Act of 1964 made discrimination against women illegal, it wasn’t until 1978 that the Pregnancy Discrimination Act made it illegal to discriminate against women based on pregnancy. That’s right—it has been less than 50 years since it was “OK” to push aside women in the workplace if they chose to have children.

Next Sunday is Mother’s Day. A day we set aside to honor the women who made the personal choice to have a child, knowing that it would impact their access to many other opportunities. This is a wonderful day for some and a very difficult day for others. Some people had great life experiences with their moms; others did not. Some will spend the day with their mom doing, well, mom things. Some will spend the day with their memories.

As leaders, we should at least acknowledge that our communities and systems have generally failed women for most of recorded history. The year 1848 is considered the birth of the Women’s Rights Movement in the US. At that time—merely 70 years after the American Revolution (fought for independence from tyranny)—women:

• were legally dead in the eyes of the law once married
• were not allowed to vote
• had no property rights
• had no rights or custody in a divorce
• were barred from most occupations 
• were paid a fraction of what male counterparts earned in those jobs they were allowed to enter
• had no access to education
• were not allowed to participate in the affairs of church or state

Things aren’t quite as tyrannical today, but the battle isn’t over. Women face obstacles to success that men do not. It’s a fact. Laws against discrimination are important, but the more persistent barriers are cultural and systemic. People in power often (most often) create systems to benefit themselves. Great leaders create systems and cultures that benefit the people they serve—all the people.

It is fitting, as we look forward to observing Mother’s Day, that we recommit to changing the environment so it provides equal opportunity to women. If we care about motherhood, we should give mothers options so they can be both good mothers and good team members. We should, once and for all, stop claiming we support women while maintaining systems (and attitudes, and conventions, and requirements) that were designed to exclude them.

It is also fitting that we express gratitude to our own mothers, who made sacrifices to give us life and to open doors of opportunity for us. At least this one day a year, we should celebrate all women who—knowing the cost—made the decision to be a mom. Whether you had a good experience or not, you owe your existence to someone who chose you over other options.

For me, my mother could have been anything. She’s intelligent, motivated, organized, and capable. I think those are awesome attributes for someone teaching another person what it means to be human. I am proud of her for doing what she thought was the most important thing she could do, and I am sad that there are people and systems that have made her feel ‘less than’ for making that choice.

Great societies value the contributions of everyone and recognize the critical importance of all the roles necessary to sustain a community. Women (like your mom) should not have to fight for their rights. Great leaders don’t suppress movements and uprisings; they make them unnecessary. Let’s not stop at suffrage. Let’s make sure all people have an equal opportunity to pursue their dreams—the Bison Way.