Presidential Documents

41317 

Federal Register 

Vol. 82, No. 167 

Wednesday, August 30, 2017 

Title 3— 

The President 

Proclamation 9631 of August 25, 2017 

Women’s Equality Day, 2017 

By the President of the United States of America 

A Proclamation 

On August 26, 1920, America ratified the 19th Amendment, securing for 

women a sacred right of citizenship: the right to vote. On the anniversary 

of that historic day, we celebrate Women’s Equality Day and the innumerable 

contributions women have made to their families, their communities, and 

in service to our country. 

Women’s suffrage in America has its roots in the meeting of a group of 

trailblazers in 1848, in Seneca Falls, New York. While that meeting sparked 

a movement, suffragists fought for 72 long years thereafter to secure the 

vote for women nationwide. Women have always been instrumental to America’s greatness, but with greater access to governing institutions through 

national suffrage, generations of women have been able to use the power 

of the ballot to shape their communities and help keep America a beacon 

of freedom and opportunity for the world. 

My Administration will continue to support the advancement of women, 

in every corner of the Nation. One of my first actions as President was 

to establish the United States-Canada Council for Advancement of Women 

Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders. Recently, I pledged $50 million to 

the new World Bank Group Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative. By 

expanding access to capital and networks, this important initiative will 

address many of the unique challenges women entrepreneurs in the developing world face when financing and growing their businesses. Through 

these efforts and others, we will support bold and innovative women leaders 

and entrepreneurs domestically and abroad, recognizing that their successes 

make our economy, and our Nation, stronger. 

My Administration is committed to fostering an economy where all women 

can succeed and thrive. We must prioritize the needs of working mothers 

and families, including access to affordable childcare. Therefore, for the 

first time in the history of this country, my budget proposes a national 

paid family leave program. Our working families must be able to provide 

and care for their children without fear of financial insolvency, to strengthen 

our communities and drive a booming economy. 

As President, I am also working to ensure that all women have access 

to the training they need to succeed in our modern economy, especially 

in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. Women make 

up only 12 percent of engineers, and the percentage of women in computer 

and mathematical occupations has decreased over the past three decades. 

To empower women to participate in all sectors of our economy, my Administration is committed to workforce development, particularly through the 

expansion of apprenticeships and vocational education. We must break down 

the biases and barriers women in STEM face, and encourage every American 

to pursue excellence in his or her chosen field. 

As we observe Women’s Equality Day, commemorating the 19th Amendment, 

we honor America’s female pioneers. These resilient women have inspired 

countless others to challenge the status quo in order to advance the ultimate 

American value: that all men and women are created equal. Together, we 

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41318 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 167 / Wednesday, August 30, 2017 / Presidential Documents 

are creating a Nation where every daughter in America can grow up believing 

in herself, her future, and following her heart toward the American Dream. 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, 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, 2017, 

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

to celebrate the achievements of women and observe this day with appropriate programs and activities. 

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

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

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

forty-second. 

[FR Doc. 2017–18541 

Filed 8–29–17; 11:15 am] 

Billing code 3295–F7–P 


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