Lifestyle
03/20/18 | Rebecca Taplin
March is Women’s History Month, and it feels good to be writing this today. More women than ever are playing a strong role in our country’s progress. Read on to learn a little, celebrate a little, and maybe even find a great new woman-owned restaurant!
Primary documents
You can also explore the the Library of Congress site for information about the 19th Amendment. But don’t stop at voting rights; there are so many more important milestones for women in America. You’ll see striking photographs, biographies of famous and not-so-famous American women, and lots of information on women in government. There’s even an interactive model of Amelia Earhart’s flight suit.
Walking and learning
For more on the historical perspective, you can also go on a walking tour hosted by the Friends of Mount Auburn in Cambridge. The docents will share the stories of some of their heroines in the beautiful Mount Auburn Cemetery. Register here for this event on March 24.
Native voices
Tens of thousands of women lived in America before colonial times, and their strong voices persist to this day. Read this article for a primer on some extraordinary native women who have shaped American history. I was fascinated to learn that Alaska was the first state to outlaw racial discrimination, based on the work and advocacy of a Tlingit woman named Elizabeth Peratrovich.
What are women doing to shape history these days?
Running for office
In 1992, dubbed The Year of the Woman, the number of women in Congress doubled to 27. It tripled, from just 1 to 3, in the Senate.
But wait, there’s more! 2018 will see an exponential jump in women running for office. At last count, there were 500. The Story Exchange, a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the entrepreneurial success of women of all backgrounds, has a fabulous page dedicated to women in politics. Get lost in some incredibly inspirational stories from both sides of the aisle.
Making delicious food
Go to a woman-owned restaurant this month. GrubHub has an interactive map called RestaurantHer that lists every known eatery in your neighborhood and beyond. You can even add to the map by submitting information on a place that’s not yet identified. It’s super-fun!
Running huge companies (but not very many)
A peek at some US Census statistics compiled in 2017 by Catalyst (an organization dedicated to “building workplaces that work for women”) tells us that women hold 5.2% of CEO positions at major companies. Let’s come back to this one in a few years and see what has changed.
Still earning less than men, no matter what the job
The US Department of Labor has put together a series of graphs that show the most popular jobs for women and men, and follows them with the median pay for each gender. In no case do women make more than men, and in only a small handful of cases do women have equal pay. There’s more work to be done here, too.
Inspired? Good.
Celebrate Women’s History month by learning something new, supporting a woman who’s raising her voice in your community, and of course, by going to women-owned businesses. And hey—once you’ve gone on RestaurantHer and picked your next meal out, order a Bloody Mary (or if you prefer, a Shirley Temple) and drink to your favorite woman’s health!
As housing affordability continues to challenge our local communities, we find it encouraging to see legislative steps that prioritize affordability, flexibility, and access, like Massachusetts’s Affordable Homes Act, signed into law last year by Governor Maura Healey. One of the changes we find most intriguing is the expanded ability to build Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs. These are small residential living spaces located on the same lot as another home, either within an existing primary residence, like converting a basement into an apartment, attached to a primary residence as a new construction addition, or completely detached, like a cottage or converted detached garage in a backyard.”
Here at Liz & Ellie Local, we are always looking for ways to make life a little greener. And if you’ve been in the Boston area for any length of time, you’ll know that there are areas where paving your yard was all the rage…and the remnants of that craze are still all over town. But things are changing. In Somerville, in particular, residents are tearing up their pavement in favor of something green.
We’re a few days from “official” summer, but there are already plenty of things happening outdoors in the Boston area. And while we love a good Red Sox game or concert at the Pavilion, there are tons of ways to take advantage of summer without spending a dime. From free music, to lectures, to movies and more, Boston has a plethora of free events worth checking out. As local residents of Cambridge and Somerville, who adore the communities we live and work in, we'd like to share a few of our favorite events.
With their complementary communication styles, responsiveness, competence, and ability to truly listen, Ellie and Liz enable their clients to feel at ease throughout any real estate transaction. They would welcome the opportunity to be your next real estate advisors.
Let's ConnectCompass
1100 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02138
