Before women were granted the right to be contributing factors in society, they were largely discriminated against in society.

Women were not equal to men.

They were denied the right to vote or hold a position in public office and co-education was prohibited.

But after decades of determination and resilience behind the feminist movement, the 19th amendment was added to The Constitution—granting women the right to vote—they were given an equal opportunity to learn and history was made.

Throughout the United States and much of the world, March is observed as Women’s History Month in which many celebrate the contributions women made to culture, history and society.

And as part of this year’s celebration, education is the theme.

While women’s commitments have proven invaluable to society, the list of their achievements wouldn’t have been possible without the equal opportunity to learn.

Some of those major accomplishments include Edith Wharton winning a Pulitzer Prize, Amelia Earhart crossing the Atlantic Ocean in an airplane, female baseball players establishing an All-American Professional Baseball League and Sandra Day O’Connor serving on the Supreme Court.

During much of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, society shared the ignorance that education would hinder women’s reproductive genes, might make them less feminine and would increase competition in the man’s world.

During this time, women’s societal roles were only that of a mother and wife.

After the American Revolution, women were given the opportunity of a basic education as mothers to learn how to continue to “nurture the bodies and the minds of (male) citizens and leaders,” according to The National Women’s History Project—a non-profit organization that recognizes women’s history.

When it came to secondary education, women were denied participation in co-education, the NWHP added.

Women’s civil rights were completely denied.

According to an article in the newspaper, The Register Citizen, “following the Civil War, white female Americans had fewer rights than freed male slaves.”

The oppression women experienced was dehumanizing.

They had no opportunity to grow as individuals and were instead forced to be what society wanted them to be.

But this oppression made women determined to be “set free” and become an equal part of society.

In 1977, legislation passed Title IX of the Education Codes of the Higher Education Act Amendments, which ended discrimination against age, sex or country of origin to participants in the educational system, according to the NWHP.

In today’s society, many women take for granted the equal opportunity they have to be part of the higher educational system.

According to a progress report issued by the White House in 2011 regarding the status of women’s education in the U.S., it stated that “younger women are now more likely than their male counterparts to hold a college degree.”

It is important for women to realize that 30 years ago, education were closed to women and life as they know it differed significantly for earlier generations.

Today, women have the opportunity to use the same educational tools offered to men, such as enrolling in many classes that were once denied to women as well as applying for scholarships to help fund their education plans.

It is important that women continue to take advantage of these opportunities to learn and keep the fight for women’s equality alive.

One way to do so is to apply for scholarships and grants funded by woman’s organizations.

Women are also encouraged to participate in all academic divisions including the field of medicine and politics in which participation was once denied.