[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 46 (Friday, March 29, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E503]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

                                 ______


                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 29, 1996

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in 
recognition and celebration of the outstanding contributions of women 
to the history of this Nation and to society as a whole. I appreciate 
the opportunity to participate in this special order and to add my 
voice to the chorus of praise for those women who have contributed so 
much.
  In primary and secondary schools across the country, young women and 
young girls are being exposed to the accomplishments of notable women 
of history. While they can appreciate the heroism and the ingenuity of 
these women, they may not yet fully understand that many of these 
accomplishments came at great individual sacrifice, were not fully 
appreciated at the time they occurred, and were often the result of 
long struggles to gain the opportunity to excel at their chosen 
pursuit.
  Women's History Month also provides an important lesson to our young 
men and young boys in those same classes. They learn to recognize that 
their classmates, their sisters, their mothers, and all women have 
dreams similar to their own of careers and contributions. These boys 
can then better appreciate that women are equally valuable and equally 
capable of leading society in the next breakthrough in whatever field 
one chooses to pursue.
  At the same time, we adults are reminded that while great progress 
has been made, particularly within our lifetimes, sufficient progress 
remains illusive. Too often our wives, daughters, and friends share 
with us the frustrations of obstacles to their careers rarely faced by 
males. These challenges come in the form of harassment, doubting of 
ability, and unfair choices placed on women concerning family 
objectives as opposed to career objectives that are not similarly 
placed upon men.
  The children in our classrooms today need to enter a work force that 
is free of harassment, free of bias, and full of respect, full of 
opportunity and full of challenge. As our children enter and succeed in 
the workplace they need to look back at the contributions of the women 
who broke ground in their particular field. In so doing, they will 
appreciate not only the contributions of these women but also the 
barriers that have been removed to women as a result of their 
persistence.
  There are no career fields in which we, as a Nation, can afford to 
restrict the contributions of talented, motivated workers. Our society 
cannot afford the disruptions caused by the lack of respect shown 
towards successful women in the work place.
  Similarly, our society can not afford to minimize the contribution of 
women who choose to interrupt, delay, or forego their careers in order 
to tend to the needs of their families. Whether single or married, 
women today bear a disproportional share of the work involved in 
keeping our families strong and on a positive track. The struggles of 
mothers today, who seek to raise their children in a safe and moral 
environment, are unlikely to be the subject of the history lessons but 
are of historic proportions.
  As we consider and honor the notable figures of the distant and 
recent past, we should also go home today and honor the historical 
women of the future and encourage their pursuits.

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