Women’s Equality Day Has Never Been More Urgent

From reproductive rights and workplace protections, to access to education and voting, the freedoms women have fought for are under attack like never before.

On Aug. 26, 1920, after decades of relentless organizing, the 19th Amendment was certified, recognizing women’s constitutional right to vote. More than 50 years later, in 1971, Congress designated Aug. 26 as Women’s Equality Day to commemorate the hard-won milestone and to serve as a reminder of the ongoing struggle for gender equality. It was never meant to be a day of rest, but a day of resolve.

And yet, in 2025, we hear people claiming that gender equality is a “false narrative” and that women already have everything they need. These claims are not only false—they are dangerous. They erase the lived reality of women whose rights are under siege and give cover to those who are working to roll back decades of progress.

Women’s rights are not abstract ideals; they are tangible freedoms that are being stripped away.

In just the past few years we’ve seen:

• Reproductive rights gutted: The overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 marked the first time in history the Supreme Court has taken away a fundamental right. Today, 12 states fully prohibit abortion in almost all circumstances, with women denied abortion even in cases of rape or severe medical risk, and 29 additional states have some form of abortion ban based on how far along the pregnancy is, often ranging from six to 22 weeks gestation. IVF and contraception access are now facing direct legal challenges.

• Threats to no-fault divorce: Lawmakers in multiple states have introduced bills to roll back no-fault divorce, a move that would trap women in abusive marriages.

• Attacks on healthcare access: More than 300 maternity wards have closed over the last two decades creating “maternity care deserts” that force women to drive hours for basic care.

• Erosion of workplace protections: Title IX guidelines are under constant political attack, threatening women’s protections against harassment and discrimination. The gender pay gap remains stagnant, with women earning just 83 cents for every dollar men earn—and far less for women of color.

• Voting rights under assault: Voter suppression laws disproportionately impact women, particularly women of color. Since 2020, more than 20 states have passed laws making it harder to vote. 

• Educational censorship: Since 2021, over 16,000 books have been banned, many of them by or about women and LGBTQ+ authors, silencing their stories in classrooms and libraries.

• Threats to bodily autonomy beyond reproduction: Legislators in several states are exploring laws that would criminalize women for traveling across state lines for abortion care or for accessing certain medications.

These are not perks. They are the scaffolding of equality, and they are being torn down brick by brick.

Meanwhile, extremist voices are gaining ground. Christian nationalist pastor Douglas Wilson preaches that women should submit to their husbands, be denied the right to vote and be excluded from leadership and combat roles. He reduces women’s worth to biology, declaring, “Women are the kind of people who people come out of. It doesn’t take any talent to reproduce biologically.” His movement seeks to criminalize abortion and homosexuality—and it is growing. With more than 130 Christ Church congregations, including one in Washington, D.C., and high-profile followers like Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Wilson’s ideology has a direct line to the Trump administration.

This is not fringe. It is alarming. It is infuriating. And it is exactly why we must say a loud, unflinching no to submission—and a louder yes to the women smashing glass ceilings in every arena.

Women are not waiting for permission. Every day, women prove that equality is not a favor to be bestowed but a force already reshaping the world—innovating in boardrooms, leading nations, making scientific breakthroughs, dominating athletic fields, raising their voices in art, and rewriting the rules in every corner of society.

Women have been fighting for equality for more than a century. It should not be this hard. It should not be this controversial. All we are asking for is equal rights—no more, no less.

This Women’s Equality Day cannot be symbolic. It must be a reckoning. Because if women’s rights continue to erode, it won’t just be women who lose—it will be democracy itself. The time for quiet patience is over. The only way forward is louder, stronger and unstoppable.