By REP. JAMIE ALLARD
Every year when March comes around, there is the same fanfare for Women’s History Month—a 31-day period when Americans are encouraged to celebrate the contributions of women past and present.
It’s a noble idea that started with the goal of correcting historical oversights and honoring trailblazers who fought for equality.
But in 2025, it’s worth asking: Has this annual recognition outlived its usefulness? Maybe it’s time we let Women’s History Month fade into history itself.
The concept started modestly — Women’s History Week in 1978, expanding to a full month by 1987.
Back then, it made sense. Women’s stories and capabilities were sidelined in textbooks, boardrooms, and ballot boxes. Highlighting their achievements was a radical act, and a needed one.
But nearly five decades later, the landscape has shifted. Women aren’t just footnotes anymore — they’re headlining. Amelia Earhart to Tulsi Gabbard, from CEOs to senators, scientists to cultural icons, their impact is undeniable and increasingly woven into the everyday fabric of our society. Even the Alaska State House is more than 50% female now.
Do we still need a designated month to remind us?
Now, the challenge is to actually recognize that girls and women are different from boys and men. We are not just hair and makeup, heels and handbags. Any man can wear those.
Women in this century are seeing their very identities stolen by men competing as women on the basketball courts, in swimming pools, and on track fields.
While Women’s History Month feels like a relic from a different century, it would be a more sincere gesture for the Alaska Legislature to pass legislation that — once and for all — protects the rights of women and girls in this century, where their ribbons and awards for their individual accomplishments are indeed being stolen.
I have filed legislation to do just that –- protect our female competitive athletes in Alaska. It didn’t pass the Senate last year but I have refiled it this year (HB 40.)
I hope all who support Women’s History Month will join me in getting this legislation through the House and Senate and on the governor’s desk for his signature. And I thank all who have supported it, even though sometimes they are bullied.
Let’s be honest — there’s a scent of tokenism in the air. If we’re not willing to protect our female competitors in their sports endeavors, we need to abandon the idea that we honor women.
So unless we’re willing to act to protect the rights of women, let’s make March 2025 the last Women’s History Month. It’s time to stop marking the moment and start living it. History is not confined to a month. It’s made by what we do every day.
Rep. Jamie Del Fierro Allard serves District 23, Eagle River, in the Alaska House of Representatives.
