National Women’s Day is celebrated on August 9. It’s tucked in with National Rice Pudding Day, National Hand Holding Day, and National Book Lovers Day. National Women’s Day is a South African public holiday that commemorates the 1956 march of 20,000 women to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to petition against apartheid pass laws for black women.
South Africa declared its first National Women’s Day in 1995, almost forty years after the March. National Women’s Day draws attention to significant issues that African women still face, such as parenting, domestic violence, sexual harassment in the workplace, unequal pay, and schooling for girls.
Although there is a long way to go, women’s rights have generally improved worldwide in the last fifty years as gender disparity has mostly decreased. From politics to sports, women have shattered the glass ceiling in many fields, and continue to pave the way for equality and representation.
My husband and I watched and really enjoyed a movie called, “Young Woman and the Sea” this past week. It is very timely with the 2024 Olympics’ conclusion, as the story depicts a girl, Gertrude Ederle, fighting for her right to learn how to swim. At the 1924 Olympics in Paris, Ederle won a gold medal as a member of the first place U.S. team in the 4X100 meter freestyle relay. Individually, Gertrude, received bronze medals for the 100-meter freestyle and the women’s 400-meter freestyle races. With the support of her sister and trainers, Ederle overcame adversity and the animosity of a patriarchal society to rise through the ranks of the Olympic swimming team and complete the staggering achievement of swimming the twenty one miles from France to England.
In 1910’s America, a revolution in swimming was underway. By custom and in some cases, by law, women weren’t allowed in the water without covering their bodies in a heavy “bathing costume“ made of wool, flannel, or canvas that weighed them down. Competing in swim races in public was frowned upon. There were private swimming clubs for women at the turn of the twentieth century. Many women wanted to swim unencumbered, and even to race. At the time, swimming meant fighting for new freedom for women’s bodies.
Female swimming pioneers are called “swimming suffragettes,” since their presence in the pool was analogous to their presence at the polls. Women’s fight for access to the water was itself a type of implicit political action.
From 1920 -1935, cities across America open thousands of public swimming pools and permit men and women to swim together. The federal government mandates racial segregation of pools in Washington D.C.
As a swimmer and a woman, I am grateful for the women who have “paved the way” for equal rights. To be denied access to swimming or any sport because of my gender seems crazy to me. There wasn’t any hint of gender inequality in my family at all. My mother was lucky to be completely self sufficient financially and definitely was respected by my father as his equal partner in their marriage. Both parents were swimmers and so learning to swim was a priority in my family. I have many photos and home movies of my parents on beaches and at pools as children and young adults. Most of our family vacations included a beach or a pool.
Equality can only be achieved if the diversity, differences, and qualities of women are truly valued. Respect for others is an important part in forging gender equality. Having a day, such as South Africa’s Women’s Day, to commemorate history and the fights that women have fought is a great way to remember and ensure progress in the future. Women have had a lot of obstacles to go through, the freedom to swim for one, and movies like “Young Woman and the Sea,” can raise awareness on just how far we’ve come.
Kate Emery General is a retired chef/restaurant owner who was born and raised in Casper, Wyoming. Kate loves her grandchildren, knitting, and watercolor painting. Kate and her husband, Matt are longtime residents of Cambridge’s West End where they enjoy swimming and bicycling.
