[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 141 (Wednesday, September 21, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1673]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            CONSTITUTION DAY

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                     HON. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 21, 2011

  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in commemoration of 
Constitution Day, as this past weekend we celebrated 224 years since 
this nation's founders first signed the hallowed document that governs 
our nation to this day.
  The beauty of our Constitution is that it is a living document. When 
the Constitution was written, women were not permitted to own property, 
vote, or attend many institutions of higher learning. Today, women are 
earning doctorate degrees at higher rates than men, serving as CEOs of 
Fortune 500 Companies, and even as Cabinet Secretaries.
  But even with this solemn document to guide and govern our nation, 
women today still earn less than their male counterparts, and minority 
women even less. Women are more likely to be living in poverty and 
without healthcare. Women still only make up 17 percent of the current 
Congress.
  As we continue to build on women's rights in this country, we are 
standing on a firm foundation in the Fourteenth Amendment. As we 
celebrate Constitution Day, women especially must remember how far 
we've come--and how far we still have to go.

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