Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)

During my first term in the U.S. Senate, Congress established Women’s History Week to recognize the role women play in our nation’s economy, culture and politics. Acknowledging their work, sacrifice, resilience and patriotism inspires future generations to pursue their dreams and strengthens the social fabric of America.

The joint resolution of Congress affirmed American women served as “early leaders in the forefront of every major progressive social change movement, [not only] to secure their own right of suffrage and equal opportunity.” A month before issuing the first proclamation for Women’s History Week, President Ronald Reagan nominated Sandra Day O’Connor to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. As a freshman member of the Senate Judiciary Committee who participated in her 1981 confirmation hearings, I observed at the time that her nomination reflected favorably on her “character and competence….because the profession of law was closed to women for a long time both legally and figuratively.” Justice O’Connor was the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, with Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson following the trail she blazed.

At Congress’ request, Reagan in 1987 designated March as Women’s History Month. Every March since, U.S. presidents have called on Americans to honor women’s achievements from centuries past to the present. Women strengthen families, communities and civic life – as heads of household, courtrooms, classrooms, school boards and board rooms; leaders in journalism, law, medicine, science, space, technology, agriculture, education, government and business; movers and shakers in philanthropy, politics, sports and the arts; as well as mothers, workers, caregivers, mentors, volunteers, first responders, military service members and more. During Women’s History Month, I encourage Iowans to celebrate women’s mark on history, especially the unsung heroes in your own families and communities.

My own mother was among the pioneers of the suffrage movement. Shortly after ratification of the 19th amendment, Ruth Corwin Grassley cast a history-making vote in a local school election. She didn’t brag about her vote to me or my siblings. In fact, I didn’t know until after her passing that she was among the first women in America to shape the course of history at the ballot box. Since 1980, voter turnout among women has been consistently higher than among men. Today, half of Iowa’s federal congressional delegation is female, as well as our state’s governor and attorney general.

This month, we also celebrate Iowa History Month and the culmination of the basketball season. It’s a fitting combination. At the turn of the 20th century, Iowa women competed on the basketball court, shaping the court of public opinion and generating community pride along the way.

For more than a century, the annual girls state high school basketball tournament in Des Moines has been a rite of passage for teams, schools and communities. Iowa girls’ basketball launched generations of student-athletes, building a strong fan base and expanding the horizon to compete in volleyball, golf, track, tennis, wrestling and more. Originally, Iowa girls played six-on-six basketball, with three forwards and three guards from each team playing offense and defense on their respective sides of the half-court. Fans packed gymnasiums across the state to watch Iowa female athletes compete in the dynamic, fast-paced six-on-six style. The final six-on-six state tournament was held in 1993. Like tens of thousands of fans, I look forward to the annual pilgrimage to our state capital each March, where high school players who worked their tails off all season long travel to Des Moines to compete for the state title. I can count on one hand the number of tournaments I’ve missed in the last 45 years.

In 1970, 20 percent of all girls participating in high school sports nationwide were competing here in Iowa. Think about that. Iowa made up just one percent of the entire U.S. population, yet 20 percent of female high school athletes lived in Iowa. These Iowa players were ahead of their time. Title IX was enacted in 1972, adding accelerant to the prairie fire ignited generations ago in small towns across Iowa. I attribute the flame to the families and close-knit rural communities who cheered on their daughters and local teams. That tradition continues strong to this very day. My hometown team, the Dike-New Hartford Wolverines, won the 2A state title for the fourth consecutive year on March 2, 2024, in Des Moines.

Arguably, Iowa girls’ basketball planted the seeds for thriving college women’s athletic programs today. That includes Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball, whose star player, Caitlin Clark, is now the all-time leading scorer for men and women in NCAA Division I basketball. The West Des Moines native broke the 54-year record on March 3, 2024, during her fourth and final college season playing for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Women’s History Month is sure to deliver an exciting finale for sports fans across Iowa. This year, the Iowa Hawkeyes, Iowa State Cyclones and Drake Bulldogs women’s basketball teams all qualified for the NCAA tournament. I expect a couple of barn burners will keep fans on their toes during March Madness. No matter the outcome, I’m proud of the mark Iowa women throughout generations have left on our nation’s history.