In 1978, the first known Women’s History Week was celebrated in Sonoma County, California. Nine years later, in 1987, the United States Congress declared March Women’s History Month in an effort to spotlight the invaluable and often overlooked contributions of women throughout American history.
In honor of Women’s History Month, St. Joe’s Women’s Leadership Initiative, a student-run organization centered around gender-inclusive professional development, has provided six women-centered media recommendations aimed at amplifying gender equality.
“The Women I Think About at Night: Traveling the Paths of My Heroes” by Mia Kankimäki
This 2020 memoir details the travels of author Mia Kankimäki as she follows the footsteps of the trailblazing women who have inspired her throughout her life. Adventuring through Kenya, Japan and Italy, Kankimäki reflects on the lasting legacies of the woman explorers, writers and artists who have guided her life. A blend of women’s history, biography, travel writing and feminist narrative, this memoir can be a dense but certainly enlightening piece of literature.
“She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders” by Jennifer Finney Boylan
Jennifer Finney Boylan, a New York Times columnist, LGBTQIA+ activist and author of over 10 books, discusses her experiences as a transgender daughter, wife and mother during a time when little was understood about transgender identities. Starting in her childhood and progressing through her gender journey to adulthood, Finney Boylan reflects on various topics, such as self-image, relationships, social pressures and parenthood in this 2003 novel.
“Battle of the Sexes” (2017)
Featuring Emma Stone and Steve Carell, “Battle of the Sexes” details the career of Billie Jean King, a women’s rights activist and tennis player who faced self-proclaimed chauvinist Bobby Riggs in one of the most televised tennis matches of all time. Throughout the film, King grapples with discrimination, unequal pay and coming to terms with her sexual identity. She protests the misogynistic regulations established to prevent her from advancing in her career and her continuous fight for justice reflects the broader fight for equality that women have embraced for centuries.
“On the Basis of Sex” (2018)
“On the Basis of Sex,” a biographical legal drama based on the life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, details the hardships and groundbreaking moments that ultimately led to Ginsburg’s legacy as the second woman in history to serve as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Written by Ginsburg’s real-life nephew, Daniel Stiepleman, the film begins by showcasing how Ginsburg simultaneously balances both her marriage and classes in law school.
Throughout the film, she struggles to find her voice as an advocate for others, unable to secure jobs at various firms despite having graduated top of her class at Columbia Law School. The film concludes with Ginsburg’s precedent-shattering case, Moritz v. Commissioner, a tax law case with a male plaintiff, where she successfully argues to the United States Supreme Court that the law does, in fact, unfairly discriminate on the basis of sex.
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (2017-2023)
Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and starring Rachel Brosnahan and Alex Borstein, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” follows Miriam “Midge” Maisel, a 1950s housewife in New York City, who, after discovering that her husband has been having an affair with his secretary, finds her passion for stand-up comedy and decides to make a career of it. With over 22 Emmy Awards, this show emphasizes the challenges of working as a woman in a male-dominated space but also the rewards of setting the stage for future generations of women.
“Everything Everywhere All At Once” (2022)
Starring Michelle Yeoh and featuring Stephanie Hsu, “Everything Everywhere All At Once” is a science-fiction action movie following Evelyn, a Chinese-American immigrant who discovers that she must save the universe by exploring alternate lives she could have led if she chose various life decisions differently. The film tells a critically and commercially successful story on the meaning of life and its many intricacies through a mother reconnecting with her husband and daughter.
