A few weeks ago, while I was in Los Angeles for a retreat for Women's History Month, my son surprised me by taking me to a special screening of Iron Jawed Angels. I had not seen any previews, read any reviews and had no idea what to expect from the film. What an amazing evening!

The movie was a mesmerizing account of the women who valiantly fought for and won the right to vote for all American women. The courage of these women who sacrificed so much to take a stand for what they believed is awesome and inspiring. Led by a young woman named Alice Paul, a largely unknown and forgotten heroine of United States history, these women gave up the promise of marriage and children, went to jail, launched a hunger strike, suffered countless abuses and criticisms from men and women, and still did not let anything deter them until they won the vote. Stop a moment and really think about this: these women were willing to give up everything, including their lives, so you and I would have the right to vote today.

Iron Jawed Angels reminds all of us of the sacrifice women made for women's right to vote - something so easily taken for granted now. And it reminded me that each generation stands or crumbles based on the actions of those who came before. In the brief moment of life we spend on this earth, is there anything more important than the legacy we leave behind?

I have two sons - no daughters - and I am absolutely convinced that my work - setting the stage for women as equal partners - creates as much benefit for my sons as it does for your daughters. As long as men have the power, they also have the burden of it: - often enduring jobs that give them little satisfaction and carrying the overwhelming responsibility for their family's physical, financial and emotional safety.

Like the women celebrated in Iron Jawed Angels, if we want change it is up to us to make it happen. We cannot simply point fingers and wait for things to improve. We must examine ourselves and determine what role we continue to play in perpetuating the less-than-equal status of women. What are we are doing or not doing to continue the "game"? Have we women, even subconsciously, bought into the idea that men deserve better compensation and so accept lower salaries? Do we continue to spend our money on companies that clearly create barriers for women? Do we reach out and pull up other women or become part of the "boy's club" as soon as we achieve a new level? Have we just given up who we are and try to play the "game" the way the men have learned to play it - I win, you lose?

So many of you have told me personally how committed you are to leaving a better legacy for the women coming after us but often don't know what you can do given your limited time. Here are just a few suggestions:

• Before you hire someone, ask yourself if you can make an extra effort to interview some women for the job. Obviously, you want to hire the best person for the job, but so many of us do not make the extra effort to ensure we interview qualified women.
• When you are ready to hire an accountant, attorney, or consultant, take a moment to look at the businesses in the WITI Marketplace. Give these women a chance to show you what they can do.
• Before you buy your next product, look at the company that makes or markets that product. Let's stop giving our dollars to companies who clearly are not committed to supporting women's opportunity within their companies; let's use our dollars so they count!
• Every time a woman crosses your path, take the time to talk to her, to find out what's important to her, mentor her, and support her - look for the similarities, not the differences.

Do you have other ideas? Please post your suggestions on WITI's discussion board.

Change happens one person at a time. Let's start today and take a stand for each other. Let's create a world where each individual can speak for her or himself - and be heard as a valued member of the community. The generations coming after us, both genders, are depending on us.

What is your point of view? Please post your thoughts on the discussion board.

Recent Posts:

Warning: main(/web/sites/www.witi.com/htdocs/users/discussion_board/conf_global.php) [function.main]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /system/web/lib/applications/discussion_board/htdocs/users/discussion_board/ssi.php on line 79