Presidential Documents

53561 

Federal Register 

Vol. 75, No. 168 

Tuesday, August 31, 2010 

Title 3— 

The President 

Proclamation 8548 of August 26, 2010 

Women’s Equality Day, 2010 

By the President of the United States of America 

A Proclamation 

Ninety years ago, on August 26, 1920, the ratification of the 19th Amendment 

to our Constitution was completed, guaranteeing women the right to vote, 

renewing our commitment to equality and justice, and marking a turning 

point in our Nation’s history. As we celebrate this important milestone 

and the achievements and shattered ceilings of the past, we also recognize 

the inequalities that remain and our charge to overcome them. 

In a letter to John Adams, who was then serving as a delegate to the 

First Continental Congress, Abigail Adams once implored her husband to 

‘‘remember the ladies’’ in the ‘‘new code of laws’’ of our fledgling country. 

It has taken the collective efforts of daring and tenacious women over 

many generations to realize the principles and freedoms enshrined in our 

Constitution. Standing on the shoulders of these trailblazers, we pay tribute 

to the brave women who dot the pages of our history books, and to those 

who have quietly broken barriers in our workplaces, communities, and society. 

We can see the remarkable fruits of past struggles and victories today. 

For nearly two centuries, America could only imagine a female justice 

sitting on the Supreme Court of the United States. Today, for the first 

time in our Nation’s history, three women sit on the bench of the highest 

court of the land, and I am proud to be the first President to nominate 

two women to the Court. Women lead in boardrooms and in our Armed 

Forces, in classrooms and conference rooms, and in every sector of society. 

Their boundless determination has enabled today’s young women to dream 

bigger as they see themselves reflected at the highest levels of business, 

communications, and public service—including in my Administration and 

Cabinet. If we continue to fight for our hopes and aspirations, there will 

be no limit to the possibilities for our daughters and granddaughters. 

As we celebrate 90 years of progress on Women’s Equality Day, we also 

recognize the realities of the present. Women comprise less than one-fifth 

of our Congress and account for a mere fraction of the chief executives 

at the helm of our biggest companies. Women hold only 27 percent of 

jobs in science and engineering, which are critical to our economic growth 

in a 21st-century economy. And, almost 50 years after the Equal Pay Act 

was enacted, American women still only earn 77 cents for every dollar 

men earn. This gap increases among minority women and those living 

with disabilities. 

These disparities remind us that our work remains unfinished. My Administration remains committed to advancing women’s equality in all areas of 

our society and around the world. I was proud to create the White House 

Council on Women and Girls to help ensure that American women and 

girls are treated fairly in all matters of public policy. I also appointed 

the first White House Advisor on Violence Against Women, whose leadership 

will guide my Administration in confronting violence and sexual assault 

against women. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the first bill I signed 

as President, restored basic protections against pay discrimination for women, 

and to build upon that law, I support passage of the Paycheck Fairness 


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53562 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 168 / Tuesday, August 31, 2010 / Presidential Documents 

Act. I have also established the National Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force 

to ensure equal pay laws are vigorously enforced throughout the country. 

Workplace flexibility is also important to women and families, and we 

will continue coordinating with Federal agencies to make quality child 

care more affordable, promote work policies that improve work-family balance, and advance the economic development and security of all women. 

Fifteen years after the world gathered in Beijing for the Fourth World Conference on Women, far too many women around the world still lack access 

to basic education and economic opportunity, face gender-based violence, 

and cannot participate fully and equally in their societies. To help address 

this, I appointed the first-ever Ambassador at Large for Global Women’s 

Issues to elevate the importance of women’s empowerment in all aspects 

of our foreign policy. From Afghanistan to the Democratic Republic of the 

Congo, the United States will continue its commitment to the rights of 

women around the world. 

Women’s rights are ultimately human rights, and the march for equality 

will not end until full parity and equal opportunity are attained in every 

State and workplace across our Nation. It remains our responsibility to 

ensure that the principles of justice and equality apply to all Americans, 

regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, or socioeconomic status. If we stay true to our founding ideals and the example 

of those who insisted upon nothing less than full equality, we can and 

will perpetuate the line of progress that runs throughout our Nation’s history 

for generations to come. 

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 August 26, 2010, 

as Women’s Equality Day. I call upon the people of the United States 

to celebrate the achievements of women and recommit themselves to the 

goal of true gender equality in this country. 

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

day of August, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the 

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

[FR Doc. 2010–21904 

Filed 8–30–10; 11:15 am] 

Billing code 3195–W0–P 


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