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March 2021
Selector: Gabby Bray & Rachael Clark
"Women are leaders everywhere you go, from the CEO who runs a Fortune 500 company to the housewife who raises her children and heads her household. Our country was built by strong women, and we will continue to breakdown walls and defy stereotypes." —Nancy Pelosi
Celebrate Women’s History Month with a selection of resources and biographical information featuring a diverse range of women in leadership positions through American history, highlighting the importance of equity in leadership, and documenting the significant challenges that women have faced and continue to overcome.
- Women's History Month
Our national commemoration encourages the study, observance, and celebration of women in American history.
Kamala Harris, 1st Woman Vice President of the United States
Kamala D. Harris is the 49th Vice President of the United States, sworn in on January 20, 2021. She is the first woman to hold the position, as well as the first African-American and first Asian-American. Born in Oakland, California, she has also served as a Senator for California (2017-2021) and Attorney General for the State of California (2011-2017).
- Kamala Harris: The Vice PresidentA biographical profile of Vice President Harris from the official White House website.
- Bills Sponsored by Kamala HarrisA list of all legislation sponsored or co-sponsored by Harris over the Congressional sessions for which she served.
“No country can ever truly flourish if it stifles the potential of its women and deprives itself of the contributions of half of its citizens.” —Michelle Obama
Women in Politics
- Women in Congress, 1917 - PresentA table drawn from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Within each Congress, Representatives and Senators are listed in alphabetical order.
- Women Appointed to Presidential CabinetsA document detailing every woman appointed to a cabinet-level position since Frances Perkins in 1933 through the Biden administration, with insights into the women's backgrounds and a scorecard for each presidential administration.
- Milestones for Women in American PoliticsFrom the first women's rights convention in 1848 to the 2020 election of the first woman to hold the office of Vice President, this timeline documents significant women and important moments in American politics.
“A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.” —Rosalynn Carter
Women in STEM
- The Women of NASAA slideshow from the National Women's History Museum highlighting the pivotal role that women have played in NASA and its predecessors.
- Society of Women Engineers (SWE)The SWE's mission is to "Empower women to achieve full potential in careers as engineers and leaders, expand the image of the engineering and technology professions as a positive force in improving the quality of life, and demonstrate the value of diversity and inclusion."
- Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Research GuideCheck out their website for more information on their current initiatives, such as the Executive Leadership Program (eXXec), as well as this research guide on their history courtesy of WSU's Reuther Library, where the SWE archives are held.
- Women in Public Health and MedicineA list of prominent women from diverse backgrounds who played a variety of roles in promoting public health throughout American history, compiled by the National Parks Service.
Women in Business
- Midyear CEO Report: Highest Rate of New Women CEOs on RecordAnalysis of 2020's CEO turnover data from global outplacement and business and executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. Full report available for download.
Cracking the Digital Ceiling: Women in Computing Around the World by Call Number: [Electronic Book]ISBN: 9781108497428Publication Date: 2019 (Cambridge, UK : Cambridge University Press)This book introduces readers to theories and evidence that support the need to turn to environmental factors, rather than innate potential, to understand what determines women's participation in this growing field.
Women in the Labor Movement
- And Still I Rise: Black Women Labor Leaders' Voices
A project from the Institute for Policy Studies that collects stories from dozens of Black women playing different roles within the contemporary labor movement. The full report is available for download as are the individual interviews. - Women Innovating Labor Leadership (WILL) EmpowerWILL Empower is a bold and ambitious new initiative to identify, nurture, train, and convene a new generation of women labor leaders. WILL Empower employs a broad, multi-pronged approach that interfaces with women on multiple levels and through interwoven programs.
The Woman Behind the New Deal [Audiobook] by ISBN: 1515975479Publication Date: 2016-04-12Frances Perkins was named Secretary of Labor by Franklin Roosevelt in 1933. Perkins's ideas became the cornerstones of the most important social welfare and legislation in the nation's history, including unemployment compensation, child labor laws, and the forty-hour work week.
- Frances Perkins CenterThe Frances Perkins Center honors the legacy of Frances Perkins by sharing her commitment to the principle that government should provide all its people with the best possible life, and by preserving the place that shaped her character.
Broken Ceilings
Fearless Girl by Kristen Visbal, bronze, 2017 (modified 2021). New York Stock Exchange (originally installed in Bowling Green Park in New York City’s Financial District).
- A broken glass ceiling is now surrounding Fearless Girl to celebrate International Women's Day
"Today's broken glass ceilings are tomorrow's stepping stones," reads a nearby plaque.
Use the arrows to browse a gallery of dynamic women from America's past and present.
Dr. Carla Hayden, 14th Librarian of Congress
Sally Ride, First American Woman in Space
Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors
Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady
Madam C.J. Walker, Entrepeneur
Jeannine Smith Clark, Regent of the Smithsonian Institution
Grace Hopper, Rear Admiral and Computer Scientist
Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte, Physician
Stephanie Kwolek, Chemist
Maria Mitchell, Astronomer
Marian Anderson, Opera Singer
Patsy Mink, First Asian-American Congresswoman
Phyllis Frye, First Transgender American Judge
Dolores Huerta, Civil Rights Leader
Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo
Sojourner Truth, Abolitionist
Sacagawea, Interpreter and Guide
Michelle Obama, First Lady
Women in Leadership
- What Women Want—And Why You Want Women—In the Workplace
A report highlighting findings regarding women's work experiences, and the fact that organizations with a larger percentage of women in their workforce rank more highly in several key areas.
Local, National, & International Women's Organizations
- COSW
The Commission on the Status of Women advises Wayne State University's Office of the President and the larger campus community on issues facing women students, staff, faculty, and alumni including gender equity and equality, social justice, and intersectionality. The Commission advocates for women through programming, university service, outreach, research, and policy recommendations.
- Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP)
A unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University nationally recognized as the leading source of scholarly research and current data about women’s political participation in the United States. - National Organization for Women (NOW)
As the grassroots arm of the women’s movement, the National Organization for Women is dedicated to its multi-issue and multi-strategy approach to women’s rights, and is the largest organization of feminist grassroots activists in the United States. NOW has hundreds of chapters and hundreds of thousands of members and activists in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
- GirlUp
A movement to advance girls’ skills, rights, and opportunities to be leaders. - Women Deliver
A leading global advocate that champions gender equality and the health and rights of girls and women
“I just love bossy women. I could be around them all day. To me, bossy is not a pejorative term at all. It means somebody’s passionate and engaged and ambitious and doesn’t mind leading.” —Amy Poehler
Data & Statistics
- UN Statistics Division: The World's Women reports
"The World's Women reports are prepared by the Statistics Division of the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) at five-year intervals, starting in 1990. Seven reports have been published as part of the The World's Women series."
- Social Explorer This link opens in a new windowThis resource is made possible through the partnership of the Center for Urban Studies and the University Library System. Use Social Explorer to visualize and interact with data, create maps, charts, reports and downloads that help you reach your goals. Explore hundreds of thousands of built-in data indicators related to demography, economy, health, politics, environment, crime and more. Easily add your own data for further impact.
- Bureau of Labor StatisticsThis website provides a wide variety of data on employment, productivity, and prices.
Women in Arts Administration
Nancy Hanks: An Intimate Portrait by Call Number: PS 3569 .T678 S7 1988ISBN: 082230869XPublication Date: 1988-09-15Nancy Hanks, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) from 1969 to 1977, turned this fledgling organization into a major instrument for government support of the arts--accomplishing thereby a virtual revolution in the public arts policy of the United States.
- National Museum of Women in the ArtsThe National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) bills itself as "the only major museum in the world solely dedicated to championing women through the arts." Founded in 1981 by collector Wilhelmina Hall and her husband, its leadership is still made up primarily of women. On their website, you can browse highlights from the collection as well as learn more about their advocacy work for women artists.
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