Presidential Documents

Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 42 / Thursday, March 3, 2011 / Presidential Documents 11931 

Proclamation 8630 of February 28, 2011 

Women’s History Month, 2011 

By the President of the United States of America 

A Proclamation 

During Women’s History Month, we reflect on the extraordinary accomplishments of women and honor their role in shaping the course of our Nation’s 

history. Today, women have reached heights their mothers and grandmothers 

might only have imagined. Women now comprise nearly half of our workforce 

and the majority of students in our colleges and universities. They scale 

the skies as astronauts, expand our economy as entrepreneurs and business 

leaders, and serve our country at the highest levels of government and 

our Armed Forces. In honor of the pioneering women who came before 

us, and in recognition of those who will come after us, this month, we 

recommit to erasing the remaining inequities facing women in our day. 

This year, we commemorate the 100th anniversary of International Women’s 

Day, a global celebration of the economic, political, and social achievements 

of women past, present, and future. International Women’s Day is a chance 

to pay tribute to ordinary women throughout the world and is rooted in 

women’s centuries-old struggle to participate in society on an equal footing 

with men. This day reminds us that, while enormous progress has been 

made, there is still work to be done before women achieve true parity. 

My Administration has elevated the rights of women and girls abroad as 

a critical aspect of our foreign and national security policy. Empowering 

women across the globe is not simply the right thing to do, it is also 

smart foreign policy. This knowledge is reflected in the National Security 

Strategy of the United States, which recognizes that countries are more 

peaceful and prosperous when their female citizens enjoy equal rights, equal 

voices, and equal opportunities. Today, we are integrating a focus on women 

and girls in all our diplomatic efforts, and incorporating gender considerations in every aspect of our development assistance. We are working to 

build the participation of women into all aspects of conflict prevention 

and resolution, and we are continuing to lead in combating the scourge 

of conflict-related sexual violence, both bilaterally and at the United Nations. 

In America, we must lead by example in protecting women’s rights and 

supporting their empowerment. Despite our progress, too many women continue to be paid less than male workers, and women are significantly underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) 

fields. By tapping into the potential and talents of all our citizens, we 

can utilize an enormous source of economic growth and prosperity. The 

White House Council on Women and Girls has continued to remove obstacles 

to achievement by addressing the rate of violence against women, supporting 

female entrepreneurs, and prioritizing the economic security of women. 

American families depend largely on the financial stability of women, and 

my Administration continues to prioritize policies that promote workplace 

flexibility, access to affordable, quality health care and child care, support 

for family caregivers, and the enforcement of equal pay laws. I have also 

called on every agency in the Federal Government to be part of the solution 

to ending violence against women, and they have responded with unprecedented cooperation to protect victims of domestic and sexual violence and 

enable survivors to break the cycle of abuse. 

mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with PRESDOCD2

11932 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 42 / Thursday, March 3, 2011 / Presidential Documents 

As we reflect on the triumphs of the past, we must also look to the limitless 

potential that lies ahead. To win the future, we must equip the young 

women of today with the knowledge, skills, and equal access to reach 

for the promise of tomorrow. My Administration is making unprecedented 

investments in education and is working to expand opportunities for women 

and girls in the STEM fields critical for growth in the 21st-century economy. 

As we prepare to write the next chapter of women’s history, let us resolve 

to build on the progress won by the trailblazers of the past. We must 

carry forward the work of the women who came before us and ensure 

our daughters have no limits on their dreams, no obstacles to their achievements, and no remaining ceilings to shatter. 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States 

of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution 

and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 2011 as 

Women’s History Month. I call upon all Americans to observe this month 

and to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8, 2011 with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities that honor the history, accomplishments, and contributions of American women. I also invite all Americans to visit www.WomensHistoryMonth.gov to learn more about the generations of women who have shaped our history. 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth 

day of February, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of 

the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 

thirty-fifth. 

[FR Doc. 2011–5030 

Filed 3–2–11; 11:15 am] 

Billing code 3195–W1–P 


mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with PRESDOCD2OB#1.EPS</GPH>