THE HOWARD COUNTY COMMISSION FOR WOMEN PRESENTS
THE ANNUAL Student Essay Contest 2017
Deadline Extended to 5 PM, Friday, February 3, 2017
TO COMMEMORATE AND HONOR
Women’s History Women’s History Month
“Honoring Trailblazing Women in Labor and Business”
The 2017 theme “Honoring Trailblazing Women in Labor and Business” commemorates women who have successfully challenged the role of women in both business and the paid labor force. Women have always worked, but often their work has been undervalued and unpaid. Trailblazing women in labor and business represent many diverse backgrounds and their work and influence spans three centuries of America’s history. Facing stark inequalities in the workplace (lower wages, poor working conditions, and limited opportunities), these women fought to make the workplace a less hostile environment for women. They succeeded in expanding women’s participation in commerce and their power in the paid labor force. As labor and business leaders and innovators they defied the social mores of their times by demonstrating women’s ability to create organizations and establish their own businesses that paved the way for better working conditions and wages for themselves and other women. Essays may describe either a contemporary or historical American woman. The contest is open to all Howard County Maryland students — public, private or home-schooled — in grades 6 through 12. Whose story will you share to help commemorate Women’s History Month, March 2017.