In the Footsteps of Seneca Falls and Beyond: The Women’s Economic Agenda

Despite the terrible heat wave that is currently enveloping Washington DC, representatives from a plethora of organizations and offices showed their support on the Capitol steps at an event on the women’s economic agenda. Not only was the event a great platform to discuss ways to improve the lives of working women, it was a great gathering spot for likeminded people who are passionate about improving women’s lives. To make the day even more special, we observed the 165th anniversary of the Seneca Falls Convention, the first women’s rights convention in American history.

The list of speakers was impressive: Leader Pelosi was joined by Congresswomen Rosa DeLauro, Doris Matsui, Nydia M. Velasquez, Donna Edwards and special guests who shared their personal stories. Each story highlighted the need for us to strengthen certain economic investments to help women and their families.

All of this struck a chord in as I thought about all the economic problems I might have to face down the road. The one that quickly comes to mind is student loan rates as I attend Wesleyan University, a private liberal arts school that unfortunately one of the most expensive schools in the country. These loans will carry over into my post-college life where I might not receive an equal pay on par with my male co-workers. In addition to that, when I do one day have a child, I will have the added stress of student loans, thousands of dollars lost due to the wage gap, in addition to the difficulties of finding adequate child care.

While this is a hypothetical future, right now many women experience these problems and more every single day. And unless things change, the future doesn’t look too promising.

Today and every day we echo what the great women of the Seneca Falls convention wrote in the Declaration of Sentiments so many years ago:

We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Women deserve the economic equality which would allow them to support themselves, their families, and the economy and we need to continue to fight for these rights. At the end of the event, all the attendees chanted “When women succeed, America succeeds”. Filled with passion and optimism from the event, we all went our separate ways with one singular goal in mind: to fight for the economic equality that every woman deserves.