History or just a conversation

I'm constantly amazed at the comments I hear when we start talking about Women's Rights or Women's History month.  Yes, you know the ones...
Women have equal rights.
Women have the same opportunities as men.
The Women's movement...that was a long time ago.
While there is some relevance in the idea that it began a long time ago, it is still a vital an necessary part of our society and culture because....that equality thing...we are not there yet.
This week's feature movie night is not about history.  It is not about the past or how far we've come.  It is a very good look at just what it means to be a women in America today.  Are there still struggles? Are there challenges that women face?
Here are just a few statistics from the film that will hopefully get you interested and starting to think about this issue.

• Women make up 51% of the US population... however women comprise only 20% of congress.
• 71 countries in the world have had female presidents or prime ministers, the US is not one of them.
• U.S. women continue to earn 77¢ to every dollar that men earn.
• Women hold only 5% of clout positions in telecommunications, entertainment, publishing, and advertising.
• It is estimated that out of the 8 million people with an eating disorder 7 of those million are women.
• 1 in 4 women are abused by a partner in their lifetime.
• In nine states and the District of Colombia women who are victims of domestic abuse can be denied healthcare coverage because domestic abuse can be considered a preexisting condition.
• Between 1937 and 2005 there were only 13 female protagonists in animated films...All of them except one had the aspiration of finding romance. 

Interesting, right?  What should you take away from this?  Women's History month, for us, is not about shouting inequalities.  It is not about claiming unfairness.  It is truly about the conversation.  In the image below, you'll see startlingly how little women's voices are actually being heard.  We would like to hear what you think.  Start a conversation with someone about the topic.  There are a lot of great questions out there about what is happening or not happening in our nation and this is one area that we can talk about and get involved in.  So I encourage you to come.  Tuesday in Caldwell at 2 p.m. and Thursday in Ontario at 6 p.m.  Come, watch this film with us, ask questions, let us know what you think, and more than all of that, get involved.  Whether you are a man or woman, this is a great film, relevant, informative, and well worth the watching.  We hope to see you there.