Women’s History Month & The Power of Language Why This Matters:

At HerAbdul Equity Exchange, Women’s History Month isn’t just a moment for graphics and quotes. Of course we honor the women who came before us. Of course we celebrate the milestones. Of course, we acknowledge the doors that were kicked open. But if you know me, you know I’m always going to ask the next question: What made those doors so hard to open in the first place? And a lot of the time, the answer is language.

Before women were excluded from rooms, they were described in ways that justified the exclusion. “Too emotional.” “Too aggressive.” “Too loud.” “Not leadership material.” “Hard to work with.” Those words don’t feel dramatic on the surface, but they shape perception. And perception shapes opportunity. If a woman is labeled “difficult,” she may not get the stretch assignment. If she’s “intimidating,” she may not get the promotion. If she’s “emotional,” her expertise gets questioned. Same competence. Different framing. Language is rarely neutral, and when we’re doing equity work, we can’t afford to treat it like it is.

At HerAbdul Equity Exchange, we talk about systems. We talk about access. We talk about belonging. But systems aren’t only policies. They’re patterns. And one of the biggest patterns we see is coded language. “She’s not a culture fit.” “He has executive presence.” “She needs to soften her approach.” What does that actually mean? Who defined what “leadership” looks like? Who decided what “professional” sounds like? Who benefits from those definitions? If we celebrate women in March but still tolerate biased language in April, we haven’t actually shifted anything. Equity requires precision, and precision requires us to examine the words we normalize.

And let’s make it personal. How many of us learned early on to lower our voices, add extra exclamation points so we don’t seem harsh, say “just checking in” instead of “following up,” or over-explain so we aren’t misunderstood? We learned how to translate ourselves. And after a while, that translation becomes automatic. We start editing ourselves before anyone else has the chance to. That internal language the quiet “maybe I’m overreacting” can be just as limiting as anything said out loud. Women’s History Month is also about reclaiming that internal narrative. Clarity is not aggression. Directness is not disrespect. Emotion is not incompetence. Boundaries are not hostility.

So, here’s the invitation. This month and for the rest of the year, I’m not just asking you to celebrate women. I’m asking you to listen differently. Pay attention to how women are described in meetings, how leadership is framed in job descriptions, how confidence is interpreted, and how often women are asked to adjust their tone. And if something feels off, say that. That’s equity work too. History will remember the milestones, but culture is shaped in everyday conversations. And when we shift the language, we shift what becomes possible.

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