When Did Women's History Month Start? It Wasn't That Long AgoHome > FYISource: iStock Women' s History Month Is Important but It Wasn' t Always a ThingBy Chrissy BobicMar. 1 2022, Published 3:21 p.m. ET March has been known as Women's History Month for decades, but even so, there are many who don't know when it started or how it even became a thing. Like some other month-long holidays, Women's History Month isn't celebrated with a party or even a day off work (but the latter seems kind of amazing, so can we fight for that?). However, it is still important, so it's hard not to wonder about its origins.Article continues below advertisement When did Women' s History Month start According to National Geographic, President Jimmy Carter signed a proclamation on March 2, 1980, that declared that week National Women's History Week. There wasn't yet a month dedicated to the success and celebration of women, but it was a start.Source: iStockArticle continues below advertisement The road to Women's History Month continued with a week-long celebration of women in 1982. Congress passed Pub. L. 97-28, which declared that the United States would celebrate the accomplishments of women during the week of March 7, 1982. The following several years included resolutions made to designate one week in March as National Women's History Week. In 1987, the National Women's History Project petitioned Congress to dedicate the entire month of March to women's history. In the years that followed, Congress added joint resolutions to cement March as Women's History Month. And since 1995, various presidents have continued to announce March of each year as Women's History Month.Article continues below advertisement How do people celebrate Women' s History Month There's no parade or specific custom when it comes to celebrating Women's History Month. But there are some ways you can quietly honor women in history and women who continue to leave their mark on the world today. You can support local female-owned businesses or buy books that celebrate womanhood and are written by female authors. And taking a crash course via a few internet searches in female politicians isn't a half-bad idea either. The transition from black history month to womens history month is so great when you’re a Black woman. Ahh yes it’s still about us — Breya M. Johnson (@TheBlackLayers) February 28, 2022 Article continues below advertisement There are some books that are perfect for Women' s History Month If you want to bone up on your reading in celebration of Women's History Month, you can check out a number of books that are all about female empowerment. Check out Becoming by Michelle Obama, We Should All Be Feminists by Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and My Own Words by Ruth Bader Ginsburg. There are also graphic novels you can read that celebrate women and feminism, including The PLAIN Janes by Cecil Castellucci about a group of young girls all named Jane who rebel in their small town. Or Go With the Flow by Karen Schneemann and Lily Williams, which follows another group of girls who start a movement, but this time it's because their school always lacks a steady supply of tampons.Article continues below advertisement There’s so many books written by women for women, about female empowerment, navigating the patriarchy and combatting sexism. There’s not enough books written by men for men, about being anti-sexist, respecting women and combatting internalized misogyny. This should be a genre.— The Mamattorney (@TheMamattorney) February 24, 2022 You can also get your little ones started on the right track with feminism-inspired children's books. Some of the more engaging ones include the Little Feminist board books by Lydia Ortiz and Emily Kleinman and This Little Trailblazer: A Girl Power Primer by Joan Holub. But as long as you empower women and girls and are eager to celebrate them in every sense of the word, there's no wrong way to uphold Women's History Month.AdvertisementMore from Distractify Celebrate International Women's Day This Friday with These Hilarious Memes 11 Feminist Podcasts to Celebrate Women's History Month Every Month of the Year 20 Incredible Forgotten Women of History Latest FYI News and UpdatesAdvertisementABOUT DistractifyAbout UsPrivacy PolicyTerms of UseDMCASitemapCONNECT with DistractifyLink to Facebook Link to TwitterLink to InstagramContact us by Email Copyright 2022 Distractify. Distractify is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.