[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 42 (Wednesday, March 4, 2015)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 11851-11852]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-04516]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 42 / Wednesday, March 4, 2015 / 
Presidential Documents

[[Page 11851]]


                Proclamation 9238 of February 27, 2015

                
Women's History Month, 2015

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Throughout history, extraordinary women have fought 
                tirelessly to broaden our democracy's reach and help 
                perfect our Union. Through protest and activism, 
                generations of women have appealed to the values at the 
                heart of our Nation and fought to give meaning to the 
                idea that we are all created equal. As today's women 
                and girls reach for new heights, they stand on the 
                shoulders of all those who have come before and carry 
                forward their legacy of proud achievement. This month, 
                we celebrate countless pioneering women and the 
                victories they won, and we continue our work to build a 
                society where our daughters have the same possibilities 
                as our sons.

                Courageous women have called not only for the absence 
                of oppression, but for the presence of opportunity. 
                They have demonstrated for justice, but also for jobs--
                ones that promise equal pay for equal work. And they 
                have marched for the right to vote not just so their 
                voices would be heard, but so they could have a seat at 
                the head of the table. With grit and resolve, they have 
                fought to overcome discrimination and shatter glass 
                ceilings, and after decades of slow, steady, and 
                determined progress, they have widened the circle of 
                opportunity for women and girls across our country.

                Today, more women are their family's main breadwinner 
                than ever before. Women are nearly half of our Nation's 
                workers, and they are increasingly among the most 
                skilled. At the same time, more than 60 percent of 
                women with children under the age of 5 participate in 
                the labor force. This increasing participation of women 
                in our workforce has bolstered our economy and 
                strengthened our families, and it has demonstrated that 
                the policies that benefit women and working families 
                benefit all of us.

                But not all of the rules that govern our workplaces 
                have caught up with this reality, and today, too many 
                of the opportunities that our mothers and grandmothers 
                fought for are going unrealized. That is why I am 
                committed to tearing down the barriers to full and 
                equal participation in our economy and society that 
                still exist for too many women. All women deserve equal 
                pay for equal work and a living wage; the Congress 
                needs to raise the minimum wage and pass a law that 
                ensures a woman is paid the same as a man for doing the 
                same work. I continue to call for increased workplace 
                flexibility and access to paid leave--including paid 
                sick leave--so that hardworking Americans do not have 
                to choose between being productive employees and 
                responsible family members. And I have proposed a plan 
                that would make quality child care available to every 
                middle-class and low-income family in America with 
                young children. These are not only women's issues--they 
                are family issues and national economic priorities.

                We know that when women succeed, America succeeds. The 
                strength of our economy rests on whether we make it 
                possible for every citizen to contribute to our growth 
                and prosperity. As we honor the many patriots who have 
                shaped not only the destinies of other women, but also 
                the direction of our history, let us resolve to build 
                on their efforts in our own time. As a Nation, we must 
                join our voices with the chorus of history and push 
                forward with unyielding faith to forge a more equal 
                society for

[[Page 11852]]

                all our daughters and granddaughters--one where a 
                woman's potential is limited only by the size of her 
                dreams and the power of her imagination.

                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 2015 as Women's 
                History Month. I call upon all Americans to observe 
                this month and to celebrate International Women's Day 
                on March 8, 2015, with appropriate programs, 
                ceremonies, and activities. I also invite all Americans 
                to visit www.WomensHistoryMonth.gov to learn more about 
                the generations of women who have left enduring 
                imprints on our history.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-seventh day of February, in the year of our Lord 
                two thousand fifteen, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
                ninth.
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                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2015-04516
Filed 3-3-15; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F5