Ninety-nine years. 

That is how long women in the U.S. have had the right to vote. 

President Donald Trump said in his presidential proclamation that Women’s Equality Day, celebrated Monday, commemorates the adoption of the 19th Amendment in the U.S. Constitution—the amendment that gave American women the right to vote. 

“This historic event was the culmination of the decades-long struggle of courageous suffragists determined to ensure the right of women to shape the course of our Republic through the ballot box,” Trump said. “On Women’s Equality Day, we commemorate the efforts of those groundbreaking activists, celebrate the remarkable achievements of women and reaffirm our commitment to equality under the law for all Americans.” 

Some female Eastern students, while believing the fight for women’s equality has brought power to women throughout the country, think there is still a long way to go before women are truly considered equal to men. 

Alexis Moran, freshman biological sciences major, said some of her experiences have helped her realize there are still people who do not believe equality is important. 

“I feel that we should really view each other equally, in the workplace and in general,” Moran said. “A lot of people take advantage and underestimate women in a lot of aspects. It’s a very manly driven society.” 

Moran said though she wishes for more equality, she acknowledges how differently women are viewed today compared to when her mother was around her age. 

“My mom wanted to become a police officer when she first was in college,” she said. “My grandma told her that it was a man’s job and that she should be either a housewife, a nurse or something similar to that.” 

Logan Jones, junior biological sciences major, said Women’s Equality Day reminds her that the fight for equality is not over. 

“I think we came farther than we have in the past because we do have the right to vote now and women can work jobs that they couldn’t work in the past,” Jones said, “but I think we still have a ways to go in terms of women being paid equally as men and things along that range.” 

Moran, whose ultimate goal is to become a neurosurgeon, said she currently works as a certified nursing assistant and has noticed the lack of gender diversity in both fields of work. 

“There’s this stereotype of women where they are caring and loving, and they are willing to do all of that,” she said, “and the men have to be uptight and they need to be able to stand their ground and protect instead of being all loving and caring.” 

Moran said she still encounters people, both in the classroom and in the workplace, who do not accept the importance of equality. 

“You’re going to have those people that just look down on you because you’re a woman,” she said. “I choose to look past that because a lot of people now can see that women can do the same things men can. It’s not like we can’t do it, because we can, and we’re going to push ourselves so that we can do it.” 

As for women’s equality, Jones said she thinks it needs to be discussed more often in order to see actual change. 

“You don’t really think about it much unless you ask these types of questions,” Jones said. “I think it’s something we’re just used to, so if we were to promote it and talk about it more, then that would be a start to the change.” 

Hannah Shillo can be reached at 581-2812 or hlshillo@eiu.edu.