History's 10 Days Lacks Women, Needs Different Title

I've enjoyed watching The History Channel's 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America this week, and would recommend the mini-series, but with reservation. For one, few of the ten one-hour short films live up to the name of the series. Each is about an important, and in some cases oft-overlooked, event in American history. But the films don't necessarily underscore the impact of a single day, nor do they all convince the viewer that the radical changes that ensued were entirely unexpected.

More significantly, I think, none of the events selected had a woman as a key player. For much of the nation's history women didn't have the right to vote, and only in recent decades have women been accepted in a variety of professions and leadership possessions. It is now common for an educated male professional to have a female boss or to make less money than his wife. What major events precipitated this sea change? The series looks at key moments in the history of workers, African Americans, Native Americans, and even adolescents. Why was History unable to identify such an event in the history of women in the United States?