Welcome to the fifth annual
KidLit Celebrates Women's History Month!
The official theme of the National Women's History Project for 2015, is "Weaving the Stories of Women's Lives," and they are celebrating their 35th anniversary with a slogan of "Celebrating 35 years of writing women back into history." It seems that our purposes are in perfect alignment this year.
I find it sadly ironic that we need a Women's History Month. Women are not an overlooked or unrecognized population. In general (totals vary in different countries and years), women are half of the world's population. Fully half of the world's population has been under-represented in the written history of the world.
I believe that the reason is two-fold. Women of the past found it difficult to attain positions of authority and power because they were expending their energies in the preservation of society an in the attempt to simply achieve parity. Because of their lower public status, their successes (while monumental in their own ways), did not rise to the level of "noteworthy," and were therefore not widely reported or recorded. On the other hand, women who did rise to positions of influence were not widely accepted in that station, and were therefore again, not "newsworthy."
I believe that the reason is two-fold. Women of the past found it difficult to attain positions of authority and power because they were expending their energies in the preservation of society an in the attempt to simply achieve parity. Because of their lower public status, their successes (while monumental in their own ways), did not rise to the level of "noteworthy," and were therefore not widely reported or recorded. On the other hand, women who did rise to positions of influence were not widely accepted in that station, and were therefore again, not "newsworthy."
This is why, what we do as writers, librarians, readers, parents, educators, and artists matters. It is our job to find the little-known stories of women in history and introduce them to the light of a new day and a new generation. It is our job to celebrate and disseminate the stories of the young women, like Malala Yousafzai, who are forging a more equitable path to the future.
KidLit Celebrates Women's History Month seeks to inspire, to collaborate, to call attention to new books featuring women in history, and to serve as a resource for all who are interested in the intersection of women's history and literature for young people. The world needs confident young women with a keen understanding of the generations of women that came before them, the plight of women still suffering inequality, and the unlimited possibilities of the future.
Even today,
KidLit Celebrates Women's History Month seeks to inspire, to collaborate, to call attention to new books featuring women in history, and to serve as a resource for all who are interested in the intersection of women's history and literature for young people. The world needs confident young women with a keen understanding of the generations of women that came before them, the plight of women still suffering inequality, and the unlimited possibilities of the future.
Even today,
- Women in the United States are paid an average of 78% of what men are paid for the same job. (The ratio is worse for women of color.) Source: The American Association of University Women
- Worldwide, the literacy rate for women is about 9% lower than for men. Source: CIA World Factbook
- Fourteen million girls under the age of 18, the official age at which a child becomes an adult under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, are forced to marry each year. Source: UNFPA. ‘Marrying Too Young: End Child Marriage’. UNFPA, 2012.
How girls see themselves in the media and on the printed page helps to shape their views on women's place in society. All of our featured writers, librarians, artists, and educators know that literature for young people matters. So, on with the celebration! We've got a great month planned. Thanks for joining us. Please, spread the word!
No comments:
Post a Comment