Why a National Women’s History Month?

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Since 1910, March 8 has been observed as International Women's Day by people around the World. That is why March was chosen to be National Women's History Month in the United States, declared as such by a biennial Joint Resolution of the U.S. Congress since 1987.

The idea of creating such a celebration did not spring fully developed from the minds of its Congressional sponsors. Research to recover women's "lost" stories began on college campuses in the early 1970s. But in elementary and secondary school history textbooks, the imbalance remained glaring: women were outnumbered eleven to one.

In 1978, the founders of the National Women's History Project began asking the historical question, "But, what were the women doing?" And they've been sharing the answers about women's historic and contemporary contributions with the public ever since. Teachers, librarians, workplace program planners, and others have responded enthusiastically, integrating events for National Women's History Month into their March calendars.

Women's history does not rewrite history, but it does add very different perspectives about what is historically significant. Traditionally, history has focused on political, military, and economic leaders and events. That approach has virtually excluded women, both leaders and ordinary citizens, from history books. In addition to exploring the contributions of leaders in the public sphere, women's history also examines women's activities in the private sphere, and women's experiences at the crossroads where the two spheres meet and interact.

Courtesy of the National Women's History Project.
For more information about this organization, please contact the National Women's History Project, 7738 Bell Road, Windsor, CA 95492. (707) 838-6000.

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