Suffrage Centennial
Thousands of women will stream into their polling places Tuesday, and no one will think a thing of it.
One hundred years ago, women had just won the right to cast their ballots after a 72-year fight.
The first Women's Rights Convention was held in 1848 in Seneca Falls, N.Y., where the Declaration of Sentiments was adopted that called for equality for women and included a resolution that women seek the right to vote.
Fast forward to 1920, when women spent the summer and autumn on pins and needles waiting to see if the required 36 states would ratify the Federal Suffrage Amendment in time for women to vote in the November election.
To their delight, women indeed were able to cast their ballots that year for Republican Warren G. Harding or Democrat James M. Cox, marking the first election in the United States allowing all women to vote.
Today, it is difficult to imagine a line at the polls comprised of men only.
“I can't imagine us not being able to all go and have our 2 cents heard,” said Joyce Cully, controller at United Plate Glass in Connoquenessing Township. “It's hard to even imagine a day when women couldn't do that.”
She is also incredulous that the opinions and ideals of American women were stifled for the first half of the country's history.
“It's hard to believe it's been just 100 years, as far as we've come,” Cully said.
She said she does not recognize any intellectual or professional disparity between men and women at this point.
“Two of our three county commissioners are women, and they've made a huge contribution to this county in their tenure,” Cully said of Commissioners Leslie Osche and Kim Geyer. “They've both brought so much to the table.”
Cully also pointed out that she sits on the boards of directors of two local organizations that are both run by women.
“How fortunate we are that the playing field has been leveled and women are rising to the challenge and taking advantage of the opportunities there and being successful,” she said.
Gail Paserba, CEO of International Quality Consultants in Butler Township, learned of the early suffragettes' efforts as a member of the local General Federation of Women's Club.
“They worked very hard to get women the right to vote,” Paserba said. “I appreciate what they did and the reason I look at myself as an equal to every man is because of what they did.”
She said in her experience, men and women are on a level playing field.“I work in a primarily male field, so I don't look at myself any different than men,” Paserba said.She hopes all voters will cast their ballot.“It's important that everyone vote, not just women,” Paserba said. “I truly believe that it is not our right, but our duty, to take advantage of our right to vote.”Audray Muscatello Yost, who serves on the board of directors at both the YWCA and the Golden Tornado Foundation, is aware of the suffrage movement of the late 1800s and early 1900s and how important it was for women to get the vote.“We need to have equal rights with men and that's not always happening, but we are working on it,” she said.She said many legislatures did not want women to vote.“But when we helped with wars and they saw how important we were, I think they realized our importance,” Muscatello Yost said.She encourages all women to exercise the privilege earned by the brave women of yore.“We can't just sit still and not have our vote,” Muscatello Yost said. “It's very important for all women.”Joan Chew, former county commissioner and treasurer, said not having the right to vote would put women second in line to men.“It's important that women vote every year,” Chew said.Tricia Staible, president at Robinson Fans in Jackson Township, said it's difficult to picture a time when women could not vote for candidates running for office.“It's hard for me to really wrap my mind around that; the fact that we didn't vote at some point just seems laughable,” Staible said. “I'm inspired by the women who fought to get us to this point.”She hails women of a century ago who did the hard work, so women of today can vote in every election.“I love that we have a voice and we need to use that voice as best we can,” Staible said. “That's the best way to respect the effort those women made so long ago.”
