STATEMENT
Minnesota House of Representatives
District 03A 651-296-2190 - rep.rob.ecklund@house.mn
409 State Office Building, St. Paul, MN 55155
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: DJ Danielson
952-239-2316 or dj.danielson@house.mn
March 8, 2021
Rep. Ecklund statement on International Women’s Day
INTERNATIONAL FALLS, Minn. – In celebration of International Women’s Day, local residents gathered at Smokey Bear Park in International Falls Monday.
State Rep. Rob Ecklund (DFL – International Falls), who was in attendance, offered the following statement:
“I want to thank everyone who worked to convene this important gathering today in the Northland in recognition of International Women’s Day. I join everyone in attendance to celebrate the accomplishments of women everywhere, while looking forward to the equality goals that while perhaps appearing to have been achieved on paper, in reality, are still largely unmet. I’m incredibly grateful for the strong women in my family, in my community, and those with whom I serve in the Legislature.
There’s no doubt we’ve made incredible progress toward our gender equity goals and it’s important to recognize that none of it magically happened on its own. These achievements we’ve made over the course of the previous decades and centuries wouldn’t have been possible without efforts like today’s gathering.
This also comes with the realization that no matter how significant, in the grand scheme of things, the results have been largely incremental. Yes, there are plenty of job opportunities for women, but they still face an unacceptable gender pay gap. Sure, sexual harassment is illegal, but women face many barriers to achieving justice in a court of law. While carrying the incredible responsibility of bonding with newborns, our nation still doesn’t require any level of paid family leave, which too often forces women back to work after a matter of days. And while women have increased their ranks within positions of power, they still hold a disproportionate share of elected offices.
I remain committed to Choosing to Challenge, and think it’s incumbent upon all of us to lift up women in our lives and address inequities head-on. I’m hopeful we can all work to make a difference for women not just today, but throughout the year.”