It is incredibly easy to acknowledge the fact that March is a month to briefly think about the achievements of half the population. However, many don’t realize that March is a time to feel and genuinely appreciate the hard work and struggle many women have endured to get the world to where it is today. The true meaning of Women’s History Month is often overlooked, and perhaps forgotten by many, though it contains such a rich and fascinating history behind every historical action women have made — however big or small.

According to the National WWII Museum, Women’s History Month started out in Santa Rosa, Calif. in 1978, originally as Women’s History Week, which was designed to coincide with National Women’s Day on March 8. Set up by the Education Task Force of Sonoma Country Commission on the Status of Women — which was led by local teacher Molly Murphy MacGregor — the event was centered around highlighting female contributions to American culture, society and progress throughout the course of the country’s history. A parade was held in downtown Santa Rosa as hundreds of students participated in essay contests held in honor of local women. 

That July, a 15-day conference was held at Sarah Lawrence College, held by historian Gerda Lerner and co-sponsored by the Women’s Action Alliance and the Smithsonian Institution. Following the conference, women’s activist groups as well as other historians began lobbying to make Women’s History Week official. 

The initial attempts at celebrating American women didn’t stay still for long, and unexpectedly spread across the country a year later, when communities all across the country began holding events of their own. This grew increasingly popular until February of 1980, when former President Jimmy Carter declared March Women’s History Month. 

The first Joint Congressional Resolution (Public Law 97-28), co-sponsored by Representative Barbara Mikulski and Senator Orrin Hatch, was then passed on Aug. 8, 1981. After this was passed, Congress “requested that President Ronald Reagan issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe ‘Women’s History Week’ with ‘appropriate ceremonies and activities.’” After several years of passing more joint resolutions and having been petitioned by the National Women’s History Alliance (NWHA), Congress finally passed Law 100-9 in 1987, solidifying the annual holding of Women’s History Month.

Since then, it has become a tradition for the NWHA to choose a theme for every March. The 2025 theme has been selected as “Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations,” centered around the idea of female roles in education and leading mentor roles. 

Many only think of March as the dreaded, ruthlessly monotonous month of two-day weekends and no breaks from work or school, and may not stop to think about what else may lie beneath the surface. Women’s History Month, reflective of the revolutionary and hard-fought for female roles throughout American history, is something all groups can participate in and appreciate every year, especially during the grind of day-to-day life.