III 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 409 

Recognizing March 2016 as ‘‘National Women’s History Month’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 17, 2016 

Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Ms. MURKOWSKI, Ms. HIRONO, Ms. BALDWIN, 

Ms. HEITKAMP, Ms. MIKULSKI, Ms. AYOTTE, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mrs. 

BOXER, Mrs. CAPITO, Mrs. MURRAY, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. 

DURBIN, Mr. SCHUMER, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. REED, Ms. WARREN, Ms. 

KLOBUCHAR, Ms. STABENOW, Mrs. FISCHER, Mrs. MCCASKILL, Mrs. 

GILLIBRAND, Mrs. ERNST, Mr. CARPER, Mr. HEINRICH, Mr. CARDIN, 

and Mr. BROWN) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing March 2016 as ‘‘National Women’s History 

Month’’. 

Whereas National Women’s History Month recognizes and 

spreads awareness of the importance of women in the history of the United States; 

Whereas, throughout the history of the United States, whether in the home, at the office, in school, in the courts, or 

in wartime, women have fought for themselves, their families, and all people of the United States and played an 

essential role in the history of the United States; 


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Whereas, even from the early days of the United States, Abigail Adams urged her husband to ‘‘Remember the Ladies’’ when representatives met for the Continental Congress in 1776; 

Whereas women were particularly important in the establishment of early charitable, philanthropic, and cultural institutions in the United States; 

Whereas women led the efforts to secure suffrage and equal 

opportunity for women and also served in the abolitionist 

movement, the emancipation movement, labor movements, civil rights movements, and other causes to create 

a more fair and just society for all people; 

Whereas suffragists wrote, marched, were arrested, went on 

hunger strikes, and were force-fed in prison but were ultimately successful in achieving the enactment of the 

19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United 

States, which provides, ‘‘The right of citizens of the 

United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by 

the United States or by any State on account of sex.’’; 

Whereas women have served and continue to serve as leaders 

in the forefront of social change efforts; 

Whereas women of every race and background have played 

and continue to play a critical economic, cultural, and social role in every sphere of the life of the United States, 

including by constituting a significant portion of the 

labor force working inside and outside of the home; 

Whereas women now represent approximately 1⁄4 of the workforce in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and 

mathematics; 


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Whereas women once were routinely barred from attending 

medical schools in the United States but now represent 

47 percent of medical school students; 

Whereas women previously were turned away from law 

schools but now represent 47 percent of law school graduates but only 20 percent of law school deans and 27 

percent of State and Federal judges; 

Whereas women have served in the United States Armed 

Forces in volunteer and enlisted positions, with 201,400 

active-duty women currently serving and women comprising approximately 10 percent of veterans; 

Whereas more than 9,900,000 women own small businesses 

in the United States; 

Whereas women in the United States contribute significantly 

to the artistic and literary advancements of the United 

States; 

Whereas the 2016 theme of National Women’s History 

Month is ‘‘Working to Form a More Perfect Union: Honoring Women in Public Service and Government’’; 

Whereas, in 1932, Hattie Wyatt Caraway of Arkansas was 

the first woman elected to the United States Senate; 

Whereas Margaret Chase Smith of Maine was the first 

woman to serve in both houses of Congress; 

Whereas, in the 114th Congress, 20 women serve as Senators 

and 84 women serve in the House of Representatives, 

both of which are records; 

Whereas, in 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first 

proclamation designating March 2 through 8 as ‘‘National Women’s History Week’’; 


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Whereas, in 1987, a bipartisan group of Senators introduced 

the first joint resolution to pass Congress designating 

‘‘Women’s History Month’’; 

Whereas, in 1987, President Ronald Reagan issued the first 

Women’s History Month proclamation; and 

Whereas, despite the advancements of women in the United 

States, much remains to be done to ensure that women 

realize their full potential as equal members of the society of the United States: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates March 2016 as ‘‘National Wom3 en’s History Month’’; 

4 (2) recognizes the celebration of National Wom5 en’s History Month as a time to reflect on the many 

6 notable contributions that women have made to the 

7 United States; and 

8 (3) urges the people of the United States to ob9 serve National Women’s History Month with appro10 priate programs and activities. 

Æ 


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