My grandmother was born in 1891, well before passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution giving women the right to vote.

She never took this right for granted and made sure always to remind her female offspring to exercise their voting rights. Today, women still need to be encouraged to vote.

This month, during Women’s History Month, I am encouraging women to commit themselves to voting this year.

Over the past year, some people have exercised considerable effort to roll back our civil rights and civil liberties. We need to elect candidates who are going to protect our rights. This year, more than ever, it is important that women exercise their right to vote.

Women make up about half of the work force in America today, yet Congress has not yet passed the Paycheck Fairness Act.

This bill would expand the scope of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and the Fair Labor Standards Act as part of an effort to address male-female income disparity in the United States. On average, women earned 77 cents to every $1 men earned in 2010, a disparity that, in part, can be attributed to discrimination against women.

Sexual harassment and bullying in schools is worse than ever, affecting girls more than boys, according to a recent research report by the American Association of University Women.

Children should not have to stay home from school, switch schools or, much worse, commit suicide because of the harassment they face frequently at school. Our schools need to be safe environments that provide an atmosphere that encourages learning. Voters need to elect people who will make laws at the local, state, and national levels to protect our students.

We also need to elect a U.S. Congress that will:

* Protect Social Security and stop dipping into the fund for purposes other than that for which it was intended. Women depend on Social Security more than men as their sole source of income.

* Focus on protecting women from domestic violence.

* Provide funds to knock down barriers that prevent women from entering the STEM professions (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).

Virtually all women (more than 99 percent) ages15-44 who have ever had sexual intercourse have used at least one contraceptive method. Yet some in Congress would limit woman’s access to contraception. One in three women have had abortions, yet some legislators would like to reverse Roe v. Wade and take away women’s access to reproductive choice and family planning.

As of 2011, women hold 17 percent of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate and 16.8 percent of the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. In addition, three women serve as delegates to the House from Guam, the Virgin Islands and Washington, D.C.

These women are asked repeatedly to represent women’s issues in addition to addressing all their other duties. Just as women need to exercise their right to vote, they also need to step up and run for office.

As the largest generation since the baby boomers, today’s 18-to 30-year-olds represent the strongest opportunity to increase voter turnout among women. Millions of young women will be eligible to vote for the first time this year, and many others have yet to establish the habit of voting.

“AAUW stands on a rich history of civic engagement and voter education,” said Linda D. Hallman, executive director. “We recognize the power of a single vote, and we will do everything we can to encourage all citizens to cast an informed ballot.

“Women must get involved in the political process to ensure that the issues they care about get the attention they deserve.”

No matter where a person stands on the issues, voting is one of the best ways to make one’s voice heard. We need to be sure that women are registered. If they are new to voting, they need to be learn how to participate in the process. Volunteering as part of a candidate’s campaign team is an excellent way for someone to learn about elections.

I can still see my grandmother shaking her finger emphatically and saying, “Imagine a world where women couldn’t vote, and you will never miss an opportunity to vote again.”

I haven’t, and I hope other women will follow suit.

Bets Brown of South China is public policy chairwoman for AAUW of Maine.