On April 18, 1925, the first Woman’s World Fair opened its eight-day run in Chicago, IL. The brainchild of women’s movement pioneer Helen Bennett, and co-founded by Ruth Hanna McCormick, the goal of the fair was to highlight female achievement in the arts, commerce and industry. By exhibiting these accomplishments, Bennett’s goal was to encourage women to seek employment in all occupations and demand equal pay for equal work. Almost a century later, women have broken down many barriers in the workforce. However, there is still a gender wage gap between men and women. It has been reported that for every $1 dollar that a man earns, a woman makes $.80 cents. This income disparity is even wider for women of color. As we fight for income equality today, this campaign can trace its early roots all the way back to the first woman’s world fair.
Originating in Europe in the 19th century, world’s fairs are organized for countries to display a wide variety of industrial, scientific and cultural achievements. In 1893, Chicago hosted its first world’s fair. Even though women at the time didn’t even have the right to vote, there was a women’s pavilion run by a “Board of Lady Managers” at the six-month-long fair. On display were items that could free women from the burdens of housework, as well as “arts and handicrafts.” Notable women, like Susan B. Anthony, gave speeches.
Inspired by the 1893 event, Bennett decided to organize a fair entirely run by women. Her goal was to exhibit not just what women had already accomplished, but also what they could do, if provided with more opportunities in the workforce. The eight-day event drew 200,000 visitors and earned a net income of the equivalent of $700,000 today. President Calvin Coolidge opened the event via radio, a high-tech feat at the time. Another highlight of the 1925 fair was the young black inventor Lillian Tolbert and her ice pitcher. Of her creation, she said, “The only man who has ever had anything to do with it was the attorney in the patent office at (sic) Washington.”
The 1925 Woman’s World’s Fair was so successful that they were held annually until 1928. By 1928, the fair had grown much larger than the 1925 event, with 280 booths highlighting women’s accomplishment in a wide-range of occupations, including architecture, dentistry, engineering, banking, publishing, and printing. There were musical programs and fortune tellers, as well as sessions on everything from fashion to health.
The Woman’s World’s Fair never became as popular as other world’s fairs, however, they were an important part of women’s push to break glass ceilings. Today, there are close to 60 percent of women in the United States in the workforce. This number has almost doubled since 1950. Now, we need to win the ongoing battle for equal pay for equal work.