[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 433 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 433

         Supporting the goals of ``International Women's Day''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 3, 2010

Mrs. Shaheen (for herself, Mr. Cardin, Mrs. Gillibrand, and Mrs. Boxer) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                            on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
         Supporting the goals of ``International Women's Day''.

Whereas there are more than 3,300,000,000 women in the world;
Whereas women around the world participate in the political, social, and 
        economic life of their communities and play the predominant role in 
        providing and caring for their families;
Whereas women, as both farmers and caregivers, play a leading role in advancing 
        food security for their families and communities;
Whereas the ability of women to realize their full potential is critical to the 
        ability of a nation to achieve strong and lasting economic growth and 
        political stability;
Whereas according to the 2009 World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report, 
        ``[A] nation's competitiveness depends significantly on whether and how 
        it educates and utilizes its female talent. To maximize its 
        competitiveness and development potential, each country should strive 
        for gender equality--that is, to give women the same rights, 
        responsibilities and opportunities as men.'';
Whereas, also according to the same report, ``Every year of schooling increases 
        a girl's individual earning power by 10% to 20%, while the return on 
        secondary education is even higher, in the 15% to 25% range. 
        Additionally, women reinvest 90% of their income back into the 
        household, whereas men reinvest only 30% to 40%.'';
Whereas according to President Barack Obama, ``Our daughters can contribute just 
        as much to society as our sons, and our common prosperity will be 
        advanced by allowing all humanity--men and women--to reach their full 
        potential.'';
Whereas according to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, ``[I]nvesting in 
        the potential of women to lift and lead their societies is one of the 
        best investments we can make.'';
Whereas despite some achievements made by individual women leaders, women around 
        the globe are still vastly underrepresented in high level positions and 
        in national and local legislatures and governments and, according to the 
        Inter-Parliamentary Union, account for only 18.7 percent of national 
        parliamentarians;
Whereas although strides have been made in recent decades, women around the 
        world continue to face significant obstacles in all aspects of their 
        lives including discrimination, gender-based violence, and denial of 
        basic human rights;
Whereas women are responsible for 66 percent of the work done in the world, yet 
        earn only 10 percent of the income earned in the world;
Whereas women account for approximately 70 percent of individuals living in 
        poverty world-wide;
Whereas women account for 64 percent of the 774,000,000 adults world-wide who 
        lack basic literacy skills;
Whereas girls account for 57 percent of the 72,000,000 primary school aged 
        children in the world who do not attend school;
Whereas in Sub-Saharan Africa only 17 percent of girls enroll in secondary 
        school;
Whereas women receive less than 10 percent of all available credit in Africa, 
        own less than 2 percent of the land in the world, and account for only 
        15 percent of the agricultural extension agents in the world, yet 
        produce the majority of the food crops in the world, including 70 
        percent of the food crops in Africa;
Whereas women in developing countries are disproportionately affected by global 
        climate change;
Whereas according to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, women 
        account for 50 percent of HIV or AIDS infections worldwide, and nearly 
        60 percent of HIV infections in Sub-Saharan Africa;
Whereas according the Department of State, 56 percent of all forced labor 
        victims are women and girls;
Whereas according to the United Nations, 1 in 3 women in the world will be 
        beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime;
Whereas according to the International Center for Research on Women, there are 
        more than 60,000,000 child brides in developing countries, some of whom 
        are as young as 7 years old;
Whereas March 8 is recognized each year as International Women's Day, a global 
        day to celebrate the economic, political, and social achievements of 
        women past, present, and future and a day to recognize the obstacles 
        that women still face in the struggle for equal rights and 
        opportunities; and
Whereas, the United Nations theme for International Women's Day 2010 is ``Equal 
        rights, equal opportunities: Progress for all'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) supports the goals of ``International Women's Day'';
            (2) recognizes that the economic growth and empowerment of 
        women is inextricably linked to the potential of nations to 
        generate economic growth and sustainable democracy;
            (3) recognizes and honors the women in the United States 
        and around the world who have worked throughout history to 
        strive to ensure that women are guaranteed equality and basic 
        human rights;
            (4) reaffirms the commitment to end gender-based 
        discrimination in all forms, to end violence against women and 
        girls worldwide; and
            (5) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
        International Women's Day with appropriate programs and 
        activities.
                                 <all>