[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Page 4255]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

 Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, today I rise in recognition of 
Women's History Month--a time to honor the many great women leaders 
from our past and present who have served our Nation so well. They have 
worked diligently to achieve social change and personal triumph usually 
against incredible odds. As scientists, writers, doctors, teachers, and 
mothers, they have shaped our world and guided us down the road to 
prosperity and peace. For far too long, however, their contributions to 
the strength and character of our society went unrecognized and 
undervalued.
  Women have led efforts to secure not only their own rights, but have 
also been the guiding force behind many of the other major social 
movements of our time--the abolitionist movement, the industrial labor 
movement, and the civil rights movement, to name a few. We also have 
women to thank for the establishment of many of our early charitable, 
philanthropic, and cultural institutions.
  In Maryland, we are proud to honor the many women who have played 
such critical roles in the development of our State heritage. They 
include Margaret Brent, who, in 1648, became America's first woman 
lawyer and landholder, and Harriet Tubman, who saved thousands of lives 
during the Civil War through the Underground railroad. Other great 
Maryland women include Henrietta Szold, the founder of Hadassah, the 
Women's Zionist Organization of America and Dr. Helen Taussig, who 
developed, in 1945, the first successful medical procedure to save 
``blue babies.''
  Now more than ever, women are a guiding force in Maryland and a major 
presence in our business sector. As of 1996, there were over 167,000 
women-owned businesses in our State--that amounts to 39 percent of all 
firms in Maryland. Maryland's women-owned businesses employ over 
301,000 people and generate over $39 billion in sales. Between 1987 and 
1996, the number of women-owned firms in Maryland is estimated to have 
increased by 88 percent.
  During Women's History month we have the opportunity to remember and 
praise great women leaders who have opened doors for today's young 
women in ways that are often overlooked. Their legacy has enriched the 
lives of us all and deserves prominence in the annals of American 
history.
  With this in mind, I have co-sponsored legislation again this 
Congress to establish a National Museum of Women's History Advisory 
Committee. This Committee would be charged with identifying a site for 
the National Museum of Women's History and developing strategies for 
raising private funding for the development and maintenance of the 
museum. Ultimately, the museum will enlighten the young and old about 
the key roles women have played in our Nation's history and the many 
contributions they have made to our culture.
  However, we must do more than merely recognize the outstanding 
accomplishments women have made. Women's History Month also is a time 
to recognize that women still face substantial obstacles and inequities 
at every turn. Access to capital for female entrepreneurs is still a 
significant stumbling block, and women business owners of color are 
even less likely than white women entrepreneurs to have financial 
backing from a bank. A female physician still only earns about 58 cents 
to her male counterpart's dollar, and female business executives earn 
about 65 cents for every dollar paid to a male executive. At every age, 
women are more likely than their male contemporaries to be poor, and 
the average personal income of men over 65 is nearly double that of 
their female peers. Tragically, the incidence of AIDS among black and 
Hispanic women and teenage girls is far out of proportion to their 
percentage of the population.
  On the other hand, we have made great strides toward ensuring a 
fairer place for women in our society. The college-educated proportion 
of women, although still smaller than the comparable proportion of men, 
has been increasing rapidly. Black and white women's death rates from 
heart disease have dropped significantly since 1970. Women are now the 
majority in some professional and managerial occupations that were 
largely male until relatively recently.
  Mr. President, as we begin a new millennium, it is my hope that our 
progress in securing women's rights will accelerate. As we celebrate 
Women's History Month, let us reaffirm our commitment to the women of 
this Nation and to insuring full equality for all of our 
citizens.

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