Author: Janis Johnston

Janis Clark Johnston, Ed.D., has a doctorate in counseling psychology from Boston University. She has worked with children, families, and groups (ages 3-83) with presenting issues of anxiety, depression, trauma, loss, and relationship concerns. She initially worked as a school psychologist in public schools and was awarded School Psychology Practitioner of the Year for Region 1 in Illinois for her innovative work. She was a supervising psychologist at a mental health center, an employee-assistance therapist and a trainer for agencies prior to having a family therapy private practice. Recipient of the 2011 Founder’s Award for her dedication to the parenting education of Parenthesis Family Center (now called New Moms), and the 2002 Community Spirit Award from Sarah’s Inn, a domestic violence shelter and education center, Johnston is an active participant in numerous volunteer activities supporting children and families in her community. A frequent presenter at national psychology and educational conferences, Johnston has published journal articles, book chapters, and two books -- It Takes a Child to Raise a Parent: Stories of Evolving Child and Parent Development (2013, hardback; 2019, paperback) and Midlife Maze: A Map to Recovery and Rediscovery after Loss (2017, hardback; 2019, paperback). In addition to augmenting and supporting personal growth in families, Johnston is a Master Gardener and loves nurturing growth in the plants in her yard.

Mothering Mental Health

What does Mother’s Day mean to you? There is a continuum of responses, as each person has unique and perhaps thorny memories of their upbringing, sometimes without a mother.

Let’s consider a mother of 6 children who lost her mother when she was 5 years old (her mother died during childbirth when a sister was born). This resilient mother is Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910). In addition to motherhood, Howe was a published author and poet, playwright, newspaper publisher, activist in abolitionism and woman’s suffrage, but perhaps best remembered for her Battle Hymn of the Republic as lyrics to the tune, John Brown’s Body. As early as age 20, Howe anonymously published in literary magazines.

Howe’s mother also was a poet in her shortened life. Her father was a Wall Street stockbroker and banker. Due to a mothering aunt and a privileged educational life with private tutors, Howe became a scholar, eventually reading and speaking 7 languages. Raised in her father’s Episcopalian religion, Howe read extensively and came to reject a Calvinistic view. She became a Unitarian; her faith became a strong motivator in her reform causes. Howe was friends with other Unitarian scholars and writers — Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Lucy Stone, and Theodore Parker among others.

Howe’s husband, 18 years older, reportedly wanted a stay-at-home wife, but Howe lectured widely without benefit of stay-at-home Zoom. When her husband confessed to multiple affairs on his deathbed, Howe took the high road and wrote a flattering biography of him. Never assume that “famous” or “upper class” people escape trauma. Each person’s mental health path, regardless of significant losses, has the possibility of restoring a healing journey.

May is Mental Health Awareness month with a theme of “More Good Days, Together.” It is likely that Howe’s time spent nurturing deep friendships was part of her sustaining wellness. With Lucy Stone, Julia Ward Howe established the American Suffrage Association. There are many ways to mother or father in one’s life. Howe mothered a peace movement when she traveled to Europe for the promotion of an International Woman’s Peace Congress.

Howe’s 1870 Mother’s Day Proclamation is a testament to her passion and persistence in peace-building. Over 150 years later, Howe’s poetry has meaning for today; she frames a mother’s love for her offspring and calls into question the “justice” notion that wars can solve problems. See her full Proclamation: https://allpoetry.com/Mother’s-Day-Proclamation

“…our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn / All that we have been able to teach them of clarity, mercy and patience. / We, the women of one country, / Will be too tender of those of another country / To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs. / From the voice of a devasted Earth a voice goes up with / Our own. It says: ‘Disarm! Disarm!’ / The sword of murder is not the balance of justice….”

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz

496. What are your earliest memories of your mother?

497. How do you view motherhood today?

Peace One Plant at a Time

May is a wonderful month! If you are living in the Northern Hemisphere, you might welcome a reset from cold temperatures, a warming up in body comfort. Let’s also warm up peace in our hearts. I am a gardener at heart. I find much peace in gardening. Literally, gardening is grounding. I love the whiff of earthy soil turning over when I dig a hole to plant a new perennial in my garden.

A sweet inhale comes from the many scented blossoms that begin their seasonal run every spring. Angela Haupt (health and wellness editor at TIME) writes about holding a flower’s inhale for just 30 seconds to realize measurable body changes! Not only does your mood smile, but your heart rate slows and your nervous system switches on a calming state.

Cognitive psychologist Pamela Dalton is a researcher of taste and smell at Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia. She explains the science of smell. Our olfaction is so dominant that it evolves before the brain’s cortex, our thinking tool. A sense of smell helps define what we feel and may even be responsible for our survival — as in the case of smelling smoke before a life-threatening fire erupts. Although difficult to believe, the human nose can detect about 1 trillion different scents!

When you inhale a pleasant scent, you do breathe more deeply in the present moment. That deeper breath affects your entire body, including the releasing of muscle tension. Different from touch, hearing, or vision which have to pass through the brain’s thalamus before there is conscious awareness, smell travels directly to your amygdala and the hippocampus. The hippocampus holds your memories, so scent can trigger past emotions you experienced in some memory. Imagine a smell of a special food from childhood. Just a whiff of chocolate contains hundreds of different odor molecules.

Dalton suggests that such scented experiences form very early. Some compounds found in breast milk are linked with chemical properties in vanilla and may be responsible for why vanilla seems universally pleasant to nearly everyone across cultures.

I visited a lilac farm recently and experienced many inhalations of lilacs. While every person responds to scent in unique ways, this is a pleasing scent for me. Some think of lilacs with nostalgia. Seeing graceful lilac blooms swaying in the breeze brought back memories of my childhood home with a white lilac tree.

Lilacs represent peaceful vibes of tranquility with a sense (and scent) of renewal. The delicate blossoms are an early food source of nectar for bees and butterflies. Lilacs of various colors are associated with various representations.

Purple lilacs: Emotions of love and passion; White lilacs: Purity, humility, and innocence; Magenta/pink lilacs: Strong friendships and affection; Blue lilacs: Serenity and happiness; Violent lilacs: Reflection and wisdom.

Let’s embrace the symbolism of peace-enhancing lilacs.

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz

494. What pleasant scents linger for you from your childhood?

495. What plant or flower gives you bodymind serenity

Earth Day and Pollinator Poetry

Small but mighty is a good description for planet Earth when the Universe is now considered a multiverse with 2 trillion galaxies. If you cannot fathom the theoretical concept of a multiverse, you are not alone.

Let’s take a micro view. Think of small but mighty pollinators on Earth, bees. I recently attended a lecture on mason bees. Like human masons, these bees are builders, recycling clay-like mud or crumbling mortar for nesting. Mason bees are one of the best pollinators in the early spring garden, especially necessary for fruit-bearing trees.

Mason bees are considered highly effective at their pollination posts, pollinating 95% of the flowers they visit compared to about 5% for honeybees. While the females can stinge, Mason females do not use their stingers very often and male Masons do not have a stinger. These are peaceful, non-aggressive bees, perhaps because they do not have big hives to defend. Mason bees are active workers in gardens and orchards for about 4-6 weeks, and then they huddle in their nests. The incredible honeybees take over with their pollination peaking in summer months.

Pollinators have much to teach us. A few hundred Mason bees can pollinate an acre of fruit trees, but they need their mud huts close by as they have only a 300-foot range from their nesting site. Honeybees may travel as far as 5 miles from their hive. To keep their hives healthy, each colony requires an acre of honeybee-attractive blooms within their flight range. Anyone with me enjoying a dab of honey in your tea?

We need bees. We need diversity among bees. We need these tiny flyers as 70 out of 100 major crops are pollinated by bees. A single bee can visit hundreds of flowers in a day, but 55% of America’s bee colonies failed over the past year, likely due to pesticides.

It is the 30^th Anniversary of National Poetry Month (launched in April 1996 by the Academy of American Poets). Poets often celebrate the beauty as well as the concerns of nature. Welsh writer Raymond Williams suggested, “Nature is perhaps the most complex word in the language.”

Long a focus before the phrases “green poetry” or “environmental poetry” became popular, Japanese Haiku had its origins as a meditation on the natural world. Haiku in its traditional form has 17 syllables, with 5 syllables in the first line, 7 in the middle line, and 5 in the final line. There are few adjectives or adverbs.

Here is my haiku poem about early spring:

Pansy sentinel Faces sun and snow equally Undaunted resolve

Bees, pansies, and people all require undaunted resolve in sharing our precious ecosystem. Poetry serves a cross-pollination purpose for readers. Renowned Japanese haiku poet Basho recommended that poets “plunge deep enough” into the object of a poem to see “a hidden glimmering there.” Sometimes small but mighty poems are most effective.

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz

492. Are you growing a pollinator garden?

493. Might you become a pollinator poet?

A Call for Restorative Justice

Restorative Justice (RJ) is an evidence-based practice whose time has not only come, but it is abundantly clear that our entire planet could use a justice reset. RJ is based upon reconciliation, where criminal and inappropriate actions are first viewed as a violation of people and relationships, and not just a violation of social norms and law. Key to the RJ approach is understanding that punitive “treatment” or forced submission in an offender does not produce any increased probability that the offender will engage in appropriate behavior in the future. Actually, such “treatment” is likely to increase resentment in the offender which may lead to future aggression. Only punishing an offender can further damage a fragile relationship between individuals, leaving the survivor(s) with unresolved hurt and suffering.

RJ is a process with trained mediators where the desired focus is upon dialogue between offenders and survivors. Notice that the language for RJ practice is different from the predominant descriptions of perpetrators and victims. This language difference moves away from courtroom apology attempts to actual accountability with an emphasis on repairing harm where possible. Prison time may follow serious infractions, but an accompanying RJ approach allows each person’s history or herstory to be shared in an unhurried and safe environment. Other family or community members, also affected by the harm of the offender, might participate in a RJ peace circle. The opportunity for truth-telling accountability, healing, and prevention of further conflict are desired outcomes.

Circles can also support survivors and work with individuals who are responsible for harm separately. Extensive preparation occurs before bringing together someone impacted and someone responsible for harm for a joint circle, and that only happens when everyone agrees to participate.

Schools are an excellent beginning place to hold RJ peace circles. Instead of treating an offending student with outdated discipline of in-school/out-of-school suspensions, RJ intervention might include teacher, coach, or hall monitor voices, along with the offender and survivor, in a peace circle with a Circle Keeper. If you consider that Black students are referred for “suspensions” (and/or school expulsion) about 3 times more frequently than white students, you begin to link this discriminatory pattern to similar lopsided numbers in prison populations. Black Americans are incarcerated in state prisons at 5 times the rate of white Americans.

Who listens to the stories of youth who may have been survivors in their homes and/or communities before they became offenders at school? Many students feel unsafe at an early age. This is a beginning time to intervene with reconciliation that promotes accountability.

Bernard Hosey’s rusted steel sculpture in a sphere of twisted V shapes and curved arcs is described as “a relic from an ancient civilization or a blueprint for intersteller travel.” The title, Pre-Mathematics, recognizes that there is an origin for everything. This notion when applied to human aggressive behaviors — including lethal behavior like family or societal war — addresses causes that came before a current provocative cause. Aggression and violence erupt out of a lineup of causes. When will we take the time to address the causes proactively that came before the straw-that-broke-the-camel’s-back cause?

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz

490. Who are you when you feel safe?

491. Who are you when you feel unsafe?

Invest in Togetherness

***Artemis II crew in eclipse viewers to protect eyes* *in observing a solar eclipse during their lunar flyby***

Artemis II Misson commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and 2 mission specialists, Jeremy Hansen and Christina Koch, circled the far side of the moon. They traveled further in outer space than any other humans, unless unknown alien travelers might qualify as “human!” The utter joy of the astronauts in seeing first-time sights was contagious. I watched the splashdown with family and was spellbound by the sheer complexity of NASA predictions that the astronauts would return to Earth at 8:07 ET. A correction was made when first announced that it was 8:07 and 47 seconds, only to be updated to 8:07 and 27 seconds. This was one of countless NASA precision details that dazzled us.

The three Americans and one Canadian experienced Earth views that showed the entire planet in just one windowpane out of their spacecraft windows. “Trust us, you look amazing,” exclaimed pilot Victor Glover to those of us at home plate. The team of astronauts did not see wars. They did not see nation boundaries. They saw one colorful planet holding togetherness in the infinite cosmic darkness.

As the astronauts were heading home, Glover communicated with a fellow astronaut on the ground: “Tell the world to keep this energy going. Let’s invest in togetherness.”

Some readers will recall their goose bumps when watching another team of moon pioneers in 1969. Communication from that moon voyage sticks like velcro in your memory if you watched the epic moments: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” exclaimed Neil Armstrong. Along with Buzz Aldrin, Armstrong walked in awe on the moon’s surface while lesser-known command module pilot Michael Collins orbited alone. During his solo sojourn he was cut off from radio communication for 21+ hours, but Collins calmly collected his teammates for a safe return home.

What effective communication are we humans cut off from today? With strife on many parts of our precious planet, our communication to resolve differences is key. Perhaps we are forgetting about the plaque that was left on the moon by Apollo astronauts with the following words: “Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon. July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind.” The plaque held the signatures from the Apollo 11 crew and President Nixon.

Let’s applaud NASA on another successful space mission but let’s also take care of our planetary cousins. Too often we endorse peace for some, not all.

Civil Rights activist James Baldwin wrote in Nothing Personal, “…it is not fixed; the earth is always changing. The light is always changing; the sea does not cease to grind down rock. Generations do not cease to be born, and we are responsible to them.”

Yes, we owe it to future generations to invest in peace for togetherness on planet Earth.

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz

488. What meaning do you take away from space exploration?

489. How might you engage in peaceful dialogues with someone who has different views from your own?

Spring Is Planting Time

“If your plan is for one year, plant rice. If your plan is for ten years, plant trees. If your plan is for one hundred years, educate children.” This advice attributed to Confucius (551-479 BCE), philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period in China, is relevant today. Confucius advocated for personal and governmental morality, a ruler’s responsibility to lead by virtue, and harmonious social relationships characterized by kindness and sincerity. His mantra for his students asking for a single guide to follow is referred to today as the Silver Rule: “What you do not wish upon yourself, extend not to others” (from The Analects). The Silver Rule is a parallel to the Christian Golden Rule (dated by scholars to around 50-60 CE in oral tradition).

These Silver/Gold words (commonly referred to as rules) are not the only seeds that people plant on our precious planet. Too often our current news feed is clogged with the language of graft, corruption, and war. It is sobering to consider that in the Spring and Autumn period in Chinese history (770-476 BCE) feuding states fought with one another and competed for power. Long walls were erected to keep out aboriginal and nomadic tribes. This eerie history repeats itself today. The period that came next in China is referred to as Warring States period (475-221 BCE). We can be grateful to Confucious and his followers that virtuous voices stood up for planting seeds of morality.

“…There is nothing better you can do with your words than plant a precious seed. Sow seeds, wherever you go…” says Sunday Times Scottish poet Donna Ashworth in her poem, Say It. Her words are proving to be fruitful planters. Her words are growing poetry reading in the UK with what Ashworth calls “self -help in poetry.” For those who have criticized the simplicity of Ashworth’s voice, perhaps there are jealous parts lurking. Her popularity among the 20-30 year-old population in the UK is driving more readers to classical poets as well. Education occurs on many fronts. Say yes to planting words that promote kindness and sincerity.

Also, say yes to planting perennial seeds and trees in yards and gardens. Being a collaborator with Mother Nature over time is rewarding in countless positive ways. The sheer magic of creation gives hope for a world fatigued from countless negative actions. From a tiny seed that looks fragile and vulnerable to emergence into a thriving plant takes a period of darkness underground before transformation blooms into a gift of sustainability, beauty, and possibly food.

It takes grit, or passion plus persistence, to nurture fledgling seeds. It takes gardening wisdom to water at the right times, provide protection from the elements, and plan for adequate light. Likewise, it takes passion plus persistence to craft the words we utter, whether meant for poetry or peace talks.

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz

486. What “seeds” (literal or otherwise) are you planting this spring?

487. How much grit do you possess?

Reading Is Not Dead (Yet)

Can reading books make a comeback?

U.S. daily book reading for pleasure is steadily declining (40% drop from 2003-2023). A National Endowment for the Arts research lab at University of Florida teamed with University College London researchers to analyze data from 236,000+ Americans who completed the American Time Use Study.

The dearth of pleasure reading does not reflect all groups; people with higher educational levels and women are more likely readers. Unfortunately, reader-less homes where reading for pleasure could support mental health, creativity and lifelong reading are those in lower income or educational realization and rural (versus metropolitan) areas. One might argue that these folks often have two jobs to make ends meet and reading time is a luxury that is not sustainable.

March is National Reading Month. The intent is to encourage daily reading habits to promote literacy as well as nurture reading habits in both children and adults. A focus set by Read Across America Week (March 2–6), was “Champion Kindness,” a goal much needed today. Helping children read diverse books can foster empathy along with developing a love for broad-ranging literature.

One reason March is a special reading month is due to honoring of Dr. Seuss’s birthday on March 2nd. Much-loved Dr. Suess books, with their quirky illustrations and humorous storytelling, remain favorite choices for parents who read books to their children at bedtime. His Grinch character provides food for thought for both parents and kids. Dr. Suess was right when he said, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.”

While many blame our digital-relying habits for a reading downfall, British author and technology guru Kevin Ashton maintains that technology is not to blame. He reminds, “What’s on their phones is words…go look at [a]…TikTok video…There are captions that help it make more sense when they’re communicating with one another. They’re sending text messages. Children today are writing more words than you or I did when we were teenagers.”

Yes, “words” are present in technology, but I think the technology vs. reading-books issue needs more discussion among educators and mental health providers. When there is a winning lawsuit against Meta and Google, blaming social media for the anxiety and depression of a woman who claims addiction to social media as a youngster, the impact of digital wording matters. What safeguards are present for tender minds in developing healthy perceptions about their belonging in a fast-paced society? Who moderates digital mediums for kids?

Ashton had thoughts about storytelling for decades before writing his book, The Story of Stories: The Million-Year History of a Uniquely Human Art. He suggests that it is emotional storytelling that readers seek. Yes, emotions are complex parts of us and stories help us gain perspectives about emotional territory. Along with diverse book-reading, I believe we need more in-person communication in sharing emotions in homes and schools.

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz

484. What is the last book you read?

485. Were there any emotional insights from reading that book?

Purpose Pearls

Boston University (BU) initiated STAR (Society of Terrier Alumni Retirees) Wellness Week. Speaking online on a STAR panel (Retirement Reimagined: The Transition to New or Renewed Purpose) with two other BU alumni, I visualized this mini-report blog on retirement paths.

Lisa Haynes, author of Retired and Killin’ It: The Ultimate Retirement Plan, endorses planning a “bold and purpose-filled second act.”

Robert Morison, co-author with Ken Dychtwald of What Retirees Want: A Holistic View of Life’s Third Age, proposes a 3-way purpose model with “giving, growing, and enjoying” categories.

As preparation for my retirement book, Transforming Retirement: Rewire and Grow Your Legacy, I surveyed 125 individuals (ages 55-96), asking their age, whether they were retired, semi-retired, or did not plan to ever retire. I asked for hours a week they worked, and hours a week they volunteered. Many were volunteers, both those still working as well as those on a wide continuum of retirement possibilities.

Giving, often in a volunteer role, was instrumental for survey participants in terms of their current identity and purpose. For example, the Pro Bono Network was key for one 60-year-old retired woman; her attorney volunteerism provides civil legal aid. While volunteering took a hit during the pandemic, some were gritty (passion + persistent) volunteers! One person volunteered to receive early-testing samples of COVID vaccines. Others joined research studies to receive a placebo or trial medication for a variety of illnesses. Some made future volunteering plans to donate organs for transplant purposes or research after death.

There are many paths in giving-growing-enjoying purposes in retirement:

64, a woman (recently retired) finds purpose in writing: “I am writing some children’s books, especially for young girls…who suffer societal pressure to conform to the latest norm.”
72, a man retired at 52, 57, and 70, volunteers 10 hours/week: “…an opportunity to serve…mentor the younger generation…wisely provide my time, talents and treasures.”
76, a man retired 9 years, volunteers 20 hours/week: “…you are not your job, but something else…a chance to learn and grow intellectually and spiritually.”
80, a woman semi-retired for 20 years, volunteers 15 hours/week: “…time to make and keep connections with important people and the larger earth.”
80, a man retired 3 times, his volunteering varies: “Close friends are more important than before…[I have] opportunities to do favors for others.”
93, a woman retired 29 years, uses her expert sewing skills to mend clothing for others in her assisted living residence.

Artist Pablo Picasso captured the essence of volunteerism: “The meaning in life is to find your gift. The purpose is to give it away.” However, having bodymind wellness makes a critical difference in one’s pursuit of purpose. For those challenged with their health or a family member’s health, purpose possibilities may be limited.

My definition of purpose is having passion for living a life of meaning while accepting inevitable life changes with grit.

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz

482. How do you define purpose at your current age?

483. What activities provide meaning for you?

Looking for a Diamond Career?

“Stardust” Time Capsule (Meteorite grains, including diamonds, 7 billion years old)

Careers featuring seasoned citizen populationsare not only rewarding, but necessary. By 2030 Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964) will be 65 years old or beyond. Referred to as a “gray tsunami,” I prefer my terms, seasoned citizens or beyonders. Individuals currently 65 can expect to live 2 decades more, on average, beyond the expectations of many. Life expectancy at age 65 is rising due to better health care. U.S. Census Bureau reporting tracks life expectancy at 65 from 11.9 years (1900) to 19.1 years (2010). By 2023 this number for females reached 20.7 years and for males, 18.2 years. In Japan, life expectancy years for those 65+ are even higher for these aging diamonds.

March is “Careers in Aging Month,” hosted by the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) to raise awareness about the variety of careers available in elder care with the growing seasoned citizen population. Consider some possibilities:

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a need for medical health managers increasing by 29% by 2033.
Social service jobs in senior-living centers are critical on many levels. Some positions require specialized training with certifications; however, low pay is problematic. I recently met a young caretaker who relies on her husband’s paycheck.
Family mediators skilled in guiding difficult elder care conversations and end-of-life issues are game-changers.
Recreational therapists (including music therapists and art therapists), as well as fitness instructors, are increasingly in demand. Bodymind exercise is one of the best ways for seasoned citizens to prevent cognitive decline.
Financial money managers who help family members and/or guardians plan for extended care are helpful.
Technology experts who coach seasoned citizens about cell phone and laptop usage are essential. Scams are increasing and this population is at a higher risk.
Aging-in-place consultants may be next-in-demand, as many Baby Boomers wish to stay in their own homes as they embrace aging bodies.
Educators and mentors may enlarge careers to provide elder classes. Education levels are increasing; among those 65+ in 1965, 5% had 4 or more years of college. In 2023 this education level comprised 33% of the 65+ population. Many are lifelong learners.
Entrepreneurs who work in some aspect of elder care may find 65+ folks an untapped population.

. Whether you are looking for a career involving seasoned citizens or not, here are questions to ask yourself:

If you did something completely different in your work life, what would it be?
What is your unofficial resume?
What do you really care about, and why?
What would you do in life if you knew you could not fail?

Perhaps you are an aging diamond – 65 or beyond, still sparkling, questioning traditional retirement. Neuroscientist Daniel Levitin has a term for folks who keep working — “unretirement.” He cites between 25% and 40% of retirees as reentering the workforce. Are you one of them?

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz

480. What is your plan for your future years?

481. How is your navigation going if you already are in the 65+ starship?

Is Women’s History a Secret?

*The First People*. Susan Point, Musqueam, Canadian

International Women’s Day (IWD), March 8^th, has a comprehensive theme – “Rights. Justice. Action. For All Women and Girls.” Despite the day’s U.S. origin, IWD is not uplifted enough in our culture, perhaps due to ongoing discrimination. Trace events to March 8, 1857, when hundreds of New York City’s women – mostly immigrants from garment and textile employment — protested sweatshop conditions. Many were school-aged girls who worked 12-hour days in cramped space with pennies for pay. Strict rules limited the use of a restroom or eating a meal. Their union, International Ladies Garment Workers Union, was male-only and named for the work setting; no women could participate at the bargaining table. Male immigrants also were overworked; they managed to receive concessions and a 10-hour workday through their trade unions.

Fifty years later in 1908, women protested in the streets of New York. Their ongoing issues were child labor practices, harsh work settings, and voting rights. They were met by police carrying hoses with ice water to cool down peaceful protesters. After ongoing attempts of women seeking justice in the work world, in 1980 President Carter proclaimed a national week in March to celebrate women’s sacrifices and contributions. In 1987 Congress expanded the honoring of women’s resilient leadership to the entire month of March. But where is equity hiding?

The National Women’s History Alliance set their 2026 theme as “Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future.” While pay progress occurred in the 1980’s/1990’s, glaring gaps continue in how women’s earnings stack up to men’s earnings. Women’s median earnings today are 80.9% of men’s median earnings for full-time, year-round workers (ages 15+). In 2023 this ratio was 84.6%. Why is this gender gap going in reverse?

Sustainability goes beyond one’s paycheck. Women often lead the forefront in systemic sustainability. They work and/or volunteer in community organizations that are inclusive in creating equitable chances for children’s futures. Many women invest volunteer time in building stronger communities. Women often lead environmental initiatives and work tirelessly on justice issues. These actions primarily are a labor of love with no pay.

Data from the Pew Research Center finds that 48% of women feel the need to focus on home responsibilities (compared to 35% of men). Caregiving is a huge factor in the gender maze. Taking time away from careers to devote precious hours to caregiving often translates to fewer raises, fewer bonuses, and an overall slow-down in earnings over time.

Many women work in caregiving careers. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 80% of elementary and middle school teachers are women. While teachers are among the country’s more educated employees, their earnings are far less on average than others with similar education. Earnings have declined for teachers since 2010.

Women’s rights keep getting sidelined. It must be a secret about who cares for caretakers.

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz

478. Have you ever experienced discrimination in your employment pay?

479. How might you engage time and resources to build a more equitable society?