Since 1911, the world has celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8. The annual holiday gives the opportunity to honor present and past women who have fought for gender equality.
It wasn’t until the Civil Rights Act in 1964 that prohibited discrimination based on gender, race, religion, color or national origin in public places, schools and employment. Prior to that, it was legal to outright refuse employment opportunities to women solely because they were a woman. In addition, prior to 1963, it was completely legal to pay women less than their male counterparts. The 1963 Equal Pay Act requires that all employers to provide equal pay for equal work, regardless of gender.
Some laws progressing women’s rights are even more recent. Before 1993, it was common for women to lose their jobs due to taking maternity leave. The Family and Medical Leave Act provides job protection for employees who take unpaid time off to care for a relative or family member. Meanwhile, it wasn’t until 2010 that the PUMP Act expanded the Break Time Law to include workplace protections for nursing mothers. The law states that employers must provide reasonable break times to nurse and a private place to pump breastmilk.
There’s still a lot that needs to be accomplished in order to achieve true gender equality. For the first time since data was made available 60 years ago, the pay gap between men and women has widened. According to CNBC, women who worked full-time in 2024 were paid just 81 cents for every $1 a man made. This number is down 83 cents in 2023 and 84 cents in 2022, CNBC reports.
It is believed that the gap grew in recent years due to men’s salaries increasing while women’s stayed the same. CNBC reports that the median incoming for men working full-time was $71,090 in 2024, a 3.7 percent increase compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, women earned just $57,520. This gap is even wider for women of color as well.
Until true gender equality is achieved, it will always be necessary to celebrate International Women’s Day. One of the places to feel empowered will be at NFMT East’s Women Who Make it Work panel on March 11. A diverse group will of women will come together to discuss how to increase the visibility of women in the industry, share their strategies for success and address any fears or frustrations that one may have. The panel will also share wins and champion others to continue to break into the industry.
Mackenna Moralez is the managing editor of the facilities market and the host of the Facilities in Focus podcast.
