There are NO US holidays honoring women

[Envy]

Having female STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) candidates would also draw attention to women in STEM in the modern day - which is something lots of groups in the UK and Europe are keen to encourage, due to the low numbers of women in STEM subjects.

1. Pick STEM
2. Complete degree
3. ???
4. Become jobless

 

[Spang]

Not at all, it's not like women aren't allowed to run for President. But maybe we can just make it Secretary of State Day for the interim.

What I mean is, all of the presidents have been men, so honoring all of them with one, consolidated holiday, which I think already exists, is still honoring men.

That being said, I don't think we should be honoring any of them, with or without female representation.

 

[SummerRain]

1. Pick STEM
2. Complete degree
3. ???
4. Become jobless

Alternatively...

1. Pick STEM (optional: feel smug!)
2. Complete degree
3. ???
4. Become instutionalised, stay at the university forever.

Or at least, that's how it goes for most people I know. I'm still working on 2.

 

[Forster]

Alternatively...

1. Pick STEM (optional: feel smug!)
2. Complete degree
3. ???
4. Become instutionalised, stay at the university forever.

Or at least, that's how it goes for most people I know. I'm still working on 2.

4. At least have a better chance at profit than PolySi majors.

Anecdotal, but I think it's going to continue to get more competitive in the STEM market. The class size of the engineering majors a few years behind my son's has ballooned. The older son had around 70 ME's graduate in his class, 2 years back it's up to like 130, his alma mater can no longer guarantee a student entering the ME program can graduate in 4 years due to the lack of qualified teaching staff.

 

[Forster]

What I mean is, all of the presidents have been men, so honoring all of them with one, consolidated holiday, which I think already exists, is still honoring men.

That being said, I don't think we should be honoring any of them, with or without female representation.

I know what you meant... I got no problem doing away with Presidents day either.

 

[cornsail]

What I mean is, all of the presidents have been men, so honoring all of them with one, consolidated holiday, which I think already exists, is still honoring men.

That being said, I don't think we should be honoring any of them, with or without female representation.

They've also pretty much all been jerks.

 

[das_nut]

I don't see why this is really remarkable. There's a few holidays honoring a specific person. Most of those people are from a long time ago (MLK being the exception).

Guess what: A long time ago, women weren't in the same league as men due to social and cultural norms. Heck, they couldn't even vote 100 years ago in most of the US! Is it really amazing that our holidays that honor specific notable people in history, tend not to emphasize women?

Sure, you could find a specific woman in US history that rocked (and there are amazing women in US history), but in the grand scheme of things, they aren't more notable than their male counterparts when it comes to accomplishments.

Lets review specific US holidays honoring an individual:

Columbus Day: Good or bad (and there's a lot of bad), this marks the permanent European/American interaction on a massive scale.

Washington's Birthday (President's Day): Founder of the country.

That's it, unless you count Christmas.

It's not amazing that out of the two individuals we honor with an individual holiday, both are dead white males.

 

[Amy SF]

This is not about holidays, but it is about honoring women. The kerfuffle involving who gets to appear on British currency got some Americans thinking about which American women should be honored on US currency. Here's one article about it:

http://www.care2.com/causes/5-women-whose-faces-should-be-on-american-money.html#comment-5342355

What's the thinking on Veggie Views?

 

[nigel1]

This is not about holidays, but it is about honoring women. The kerfuffle involving who gets to appear on British currency got some Americans thinking about which American women should be honored on US currency. Here's one article about it:

http://www.care2.com/causes/5-women-whose-faces-should-be-on-american-money.html#comment-5342355

What's the thinking on Veggie Views?

The article interestingly isolates "paper currency" and is wrong on its women-on-coin stats, as most people with an internet connection could discover. It's astounding what passes for journalism.

Sloppy article comments aside, I think the candidates listed are a bit far-fetched. The only person who ever said, "Gee, I think Frances Perkins should be on the dollar bill" only did so when first put to the task of coming up with a female candidate. It's ridiculous. The world's (and the United States') history of discriminating against women is unfortunate, but there are better ways to make progress than stamping an unknown woman's face on currency for the sake of having done so.

 

[rainforests1]

A little late, but I'd say Jeanette Rankin(voted against two World Wars). The military gets three days dedicated to them, but the peaceful people of the world deserve one too.

 

[das_nut]

The article interestingly isolates "paper currency" and is wrong on its women-on-coin stats, as most people with an internet connection could discover. It's astounding what passes for journalism.

For the curious:

Circulating Coins:

• Helen Keller on the reverse of the Alabama quarter: 2003
• Sacagawea on the dollar coin: 1999-Present
• Susan B. Anthony on the dollar coin: 1979-1981

Sloppy article comments aside, I think the candidates listed are a bit far-fetched. The only person who ever said, "Gee, I think Frances Perkins should be on the dollar bill" only did so when first put to the task of coming up with a female candidate. It's ridiculous. The world's (and the United States') history of discriminating against women is unfortunate, but there are better ways to make progress than stamping an unknown woman's face on currency for the sake of having done so.

Agreed. If we're going to move beyond gender, we shouldn't be selecting people for coins based on their gender.