Celebrating Women’s Equality Day and the Fight for Women’s Health

Happy Women’s Equality Day! Today, we celebrate the enactment of the 19th Amendment, which enshrined in the constitution a woman’s right to vote (the amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920). And what an exciting moment to be writing about equality, as we find ourselves watching — in real time — the reaction to the first woman of black and South Asian descent to lead a major party ticket for the office of President of the United States. It feels historic, and, regardless of politics, I hope we can all agree that representation of diverse, powerful, empathic women at this highest level of leadership is incredibly important as we continue our fight for true equality.

No matter how far we have come since earning the right to make our priorities and voices heard at the ballot box, obstacles to women’s equality have persisted. Some of the most insidious and harmful inequalities remain in the realm of women’s health – from the ongoing attacks on female bodily autonomy to the consistent underfunding of research into women’s health issues. One recent report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine highlights the “lack of research on conditions that specifically or predominantly affect women or affect women differently”— from osteoporosis and endometriosis to migraines and pelvic floor disorders. The report indicates that these gaps “hinder diagnosis, treatment, and prevention” and “calls on the National Institutes of Health and other relevant federal research agencies to enhance their research efforts to better understand chronic conditions in women.”

History was made in March of this year with an executive order aimed at advancing women’s health research and innovation, as part of a broader initiative to address long-standing gaps in women’s health research. But we have a very long way to go. And that journey begins with your vote. Vote your conscience, vote your beliefs, vote your politics, but please, please vote. Volunteer to get out the vote, ensure everyone you know has a voting plan or offer to drive someone to the polls. Only by making our voices heard on behalf of women’s rights will we continue the steady march toward equality.

Learn more about the importance of voting, here.