Why the National Women's History Project's Work is Important By walking history's pathways, we learn to step forward with confidence. The legacy of how others shaped society sparks our own longings to contribute. Yet in 1992, a national study found that history texts devote only two to three percent of their total content to women. History must tell the whole story. For girls, knowing women's achievements expands their sense of what is possible.
Educators are willing, often eager, to introduce women's history.
But they lack materials and support. Only three percent of educational materials focus on women's contributions. The need for more accurate information about women's historical contributions is further confirmed in a recent poll funded by General Motors. The NWHP started by leading a coalition that successfully lobbied Congress to designate March as National Women's History Month, now celebrated across the land. Today, the NWHP is known nationally as the only clearinghouse providing information and training in multicultural women's history for educators, community organizations, and parents-for anyone wanting to expand their understanding of women contributions to U. S. history.