March represents a lot of things. For some, it’s time to shake off the last bit of winter and welcome spring into their lives. For others, it’s all about the green top hats and Irish jigs of Saint Patrick’s Day. But for half the population, March—or Women’s History Month—is a time for celebrating just how far women have come, and thinking about how far still there is to go.
March is Women's History Month, commemorating and encouraging the study, observance and celebration of the vital role of women in American history. Being a female-founded and run company, we love celebrating this month and bringing awareness to its overall message.
Why is Women's History Month in March and how did it begin?
Women’s History Month had its origins as a national celebration in 1981 when Congress passed Pub. L. 97-28 which authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as “Women’s History Week.” Throughout the next five years, Congress continued to pass joint resolutions designating a week in March as “Women’s History Week.” In 1987 after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project, Congress passed Pub. L. 100-9 which designated the month of March 1987 as “Women’s History Month.” Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the President to proclaim March of each year as Women’s History Month.
Since 1995, presidents have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as “Women’s History Month.” These proclamations celebrate the contributions women have made to the United States and recognize the specific achievements women have made over the course of American history in a variety of fields.
The month has deep importance for women, but there’s no monolithic way to celebrate. For us at PRIDE+GROOM, a company founded [and run] by women, the whole month screams, “I am woman, hear me roar,” and we love it. Women’s History Month is especially important for women holding positions that simply wouldn’t have been possible even 60 years ago. It’s a reminder that women have always been a force for change and that we have the power to shape the future and make a difference. It’s also a time to celebrate our collective strength, resilience, and determination.
The Women's History Month theme for 2023 is Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories. This theme recognizes women, past and present, who have been active in all forms of media and storytelling including print, radio, TV, stage, screen, blogs, podcasts, news, and social media. We wanted to take this opportunity to tell you the story of our female-founded business.
Our Story
PRIDE+GROOM was born because four New York City dog lovers wanted the same level of grooming products for their dogs that they themselves enjoyed. They looked (hard) but nothing was up to snuff. Or sniff.
Like so many, we love our families and take pride in our homes, and we consider our pets to be integral parts of those things. That said, we couldn't find an effective way to coif them that felt on par with the way we tended to our children, our homes, ourselves. These beloved pets are allowed on the furniture and in our beds, and yet even when fresh from the groomer, we knew they didn't smell or feel as good as they could. So, leashes in hand, off we went.
“Years ago, it never crossed my mind that there was a difference between a female-run business and a male-run business. I was not brought up that way and in my entire career as an engineer, I now realize that I was often the minority, but at the time, I never felt “less” important than my male colleagues. In co-founding PRIDE+GROOM, I now see that in fact, there are a lot of differences. Many positive ones, and many that are still hard for me to understand. Starting a business is hard enough regardless of your gender. As women, we do not want it to be easy, but we do want it to be equal.” - Patricia Machado, Co-Founder
Throughout time, women have played a vital role in shaping who we are and how we do things. Therefore, Women's History Month seeks to give credit where credit is due and recognize the women who have changed the world in so many different ways, and who are taking charge and leading the way.
“After joining the board of Animal Haven, a non-profit animal shelter in New York City, I became inspired to do more in the animal space. PRIDE+GROOM turned out to be the perfect solution. Not only did we create a product that is better than anything else out there (not to brag), but we give back to the animal welfare community in a direct way by donating products, educating the rescue community and sponsoring dogs. We are 4 female founders and I am inspired every day by the women I work with. We are women, hear us roar!!” - Jane Wagman, Co-Founder
There Is Power In The Pack
We need to reverse the stereotype that women don’t support other women. There is research that shows women in particular benefit from collaboration over competition. Study after study shows women who support women are more successful in business.
“Building a brand and working alongside my smart, funny female partners has made the hard work of starting a company downright fun. We’re friends first, sharing sensibilities, goals and respect for one another, and I can’t imagine that’s not a lucky byproduct of being four women.” - Heather Perlman, Co-Founder
New research in the Harvard Business Review finds that while both men and women benefit from having a network of well-connected peers across different groups, women who also have an inner circle of close female contacts are more likely to land executive positions with greater authority and higher pay, while there was no link found for the success of men in terms of the gender composition of their inner circles.
The reason? Women trying to rise up into leadership face cultural and systemic hurdles that make it harder for them to advance, such as unconscious bias. The study suggests that a way to overcome some of these hurdles is to form close connections with other women, who can share experiences from women who have been there, done that—from how to ask for what you’re worth to bringing your unique talents to leadership.
“Some cliches ring true, like ‘Do what you love and you will feel like you never worked a day in your life.’ I never understood that more until we launched PRIDE+GROOM. The other cliche, ‘Never work with friends,’ I believe we have proved wrong. Working together with women I truly know and respect to better the lives of pets and pet owners has been a dream come true!” - Regina Haymes, Co-Founder
How to celebrate Women's History Month ?
Here are a few simple ways to celebrate Women's History Month on your own:
- Buy from and support women-owned businesses
- Follow and feature women-owned businesses and female creators on social media
- Support a women’s non-profit organization
- Host an event to celebrate women
- Support and stream women-led and women-made films and songs
- Share what you've learned about women's history online
- Read and buy books from female writers
You can also use Women’s History Month to get social with women in your industry! Challenge yourself to follow five different women on Instagram or LinkedIn every day. Forging these connections can help open your world view, sharpen your networking skills, and even strengthen your feeds on these channels.
Every March, Women’s History Month provides an opportunity to honor the generations of trailblazing women and girls who have built our Nation, shaped our progress, and strengthened our character as a people. Throughout our history, despite hardship, exclusion, and discrimination, women have strived and sacrificed for equity and equality in communities across the country.
“There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.”
— Michelle Obama
WHO IS PRIDE+GROOM?
PRIDE+GROOM was born because 4 New York City dog lovers wanted the same level of grooming products for their dogs that they themselves enjoyed. They looked (hard) but nothing was up to snuff. Or sniff. Like so many, we love our families and take pride in our homes, and we consider our pets to be integral parts of those entities. That said, we could not find an effective way to coif them that was on par with the way we tended to our children, our homes, or ourselves. These beloved pets are allowed on the furniture and in our beds, and yet even when fresh from the groomer, we knew they did not smell or feel as good as they could.
With the development of our coat-specific shampoos, conditioner and deodorizing spray, we think we found just the way to say thanks for being the best and the sweetest MVP of the house.
PRIDE+GROOM is the first dog grooming brand launched under a beauty platform, with formulas made in a clean beauty and scent lab. We know beauty is not only skin deep. We did a ton of research to create the entire line. Each product is formulated with its own unique blend of essential oils sourced from around the world.
IN DOG WE TRUST
Shop our entire line: www.prideandgroom.com
