As a history and women’s studies double major in college, I was thrilled to work at the National Women’s History Museum (NWHM) out of college, before I joined AAUW. One of the first stories I heard there made me notice that women aren’t only left out of history books and museum exhibits but also out of places like the U.S. Capitol.
Photo credit: Holly Kearl
Decades ago, a statue of suffrage leaders Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony was briefly displayed in the Capitol Rotunda, but then it was hidden away in the Capitol Crypt for 76 years. Because virtually none of the statutes in the Rotunda are of women, NWHM asked that the statue be moved to the Rotunda where millions of visitors could see it. They were promptly given various excuses for why that was impossible: it was too expensive to move, it was too heavy to move, and the women were ugly (what?!).
Photo credit: NWHM
Undeterred, NWHM led other women’s organizations in a campaign to raise $85,000 to move the statue. In 1997 they reached that goal, and the statue was placed in the Rotunda. While the statue was supposed to be on display for a few months, 13 years later, it is still there.
It’s astonishing how much time, effort, and money were necessary just to have one statute of women already at the Capitol be prominently displayed among dozens of men. Unfortunately, the Capitol Rotunda is one of many places where women are nearly invisible.
This week I read a great blog post from AAUW’s twitter friend @ShelbyKnox entitled “Searching for America’s Invisible Women.” In her post she notes some alarming facts:
- Of the 100 statues in the National Statutory Hall in the U.S. Capitol, only nine are women.
- Stamps memorializing men outnumber those memorializing women 3 to 1.
- Only five out of nearly 150 historical statues in New York City are of women.
- Of the 108 characters depicted in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, only 10 have been women.
Shelby also mentions a new nonprofit that is working to change this reality, Equal Visibility Everywhere (EVE). EVE is “dedicated to achieving gender parity in the symbols and icons of the United States.” Some of their targeted projects include getting more women into Statutory Hall and on stamps and coins and encouraging municipalities to name more streets and schools after women. Given the obvious dearth of women represented in these areas, this work is very necessary! Find out how you can help EVE get more women visible in all areas of society.
Photo credit: EVE
Also, are you on twitter? There’s a growing movement of women’s history fans who are making women more visible by tweeting about important events and women. These tweeters include @ShelbyKnox, @FeministHistory, @WomensHistMonth, and @WomensHistory. On Wednesdays you can find @AAUW and AAUW Membership Director @christytj tweeting about women’s history with the hashtag #wmnhist.
[...] -From AAUW Dialogue: Where Are All the Women? [...]
Until women reach critical mass or a “tipping point” in positions of influence, we’ll most likely need to brace ourselves for the visibility challenges and sexist attitudes to continue.
Women must continue to give voice to their ideas and become part of the conversations that influence policy, or be policy-makers themselves. That’s when decisions will be made that help women and their families, and their important contributions to history will be prominently showcased.
The excuse that “the women were ugly” sent me into hardy laughter. Has anyone take a close look at some of the statues of men in the rotunda. Now, that’s ugly!
I suppose it’s easy to say about this, “twas ever thus,” but it is an excellent example of how women continue to be marginalized in a multitude of ways, especially in the nation’s capital, which should be a beacon for equality for all our people.
I am pleased that the stature is in a prominent place in the rotunda so that the women depicted can be honored for their efforts.
I must add that I write as father of three daughters, stepfather of two daughters, and husband of a former president of AAUW Pennsylvania, so I have been and continue to be enlightened at close range about the issues of women’s equality.
Father Price