[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 45 (Tuesday, March 9, 2010)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 10631-10632]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-5108]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 45 / Tuesday, March 9, 2010 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 10631]]

                Proclamation 8481 of March 2, 2010

                
Women's History Month, 2010

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                 Countless women have steered the course of our 
                history, and their stories are ones of steadfast 
                determination. From reaching for the ballot box to 
                breaking barriers on athletic fields and battlefields, 
                American women have stood resolute in the face of 
                adversity and overcome obstacles to realize their full 
                measure of success. Women's History Month is an 
                opportunity for us to recognize the contributions women 
                have made to our Nation, and to honor those who blazed 
                trails for women's empowerment and equality.

                 Women from all walks of life have improved their 
                communities and our Nation. Sylvia Mendez and her 
                family stood up for her right to an education and 
                catalyzed the desegregation of our schools. Starting as 
                a caseworker in city government, Dr. Dorothy Height has 
                dedicated her life to building a more just society. One 
                of our young heroes, Caroline Moore, contributed to 
                advances in astronomy by discovering a supernova at age 
                14.

                 When women like these reach their potential, our 
                country as a whole prospers. That is the duty of our 
                Government--not to guarantee success, but to ensure all 
                Americans can achieve it. My Administration is working 
                to fulfill this promise with initiatives like the White 
                House Council on Women and Girls, which promotes the 
                importance of taking women and girls into account in 
                Federal policies and programs. This council is 
                committed to ensuring our Government does all it can to 
                give our daughters the chance to achieve their dreams.

                As we move forward, we must correct persisting 
                inequalities. Women comprise over 50 percent of our 
                population but hold fewer than 17 percent of our 
                congressional seats. More than half our college 
                students are female, yet when they graduate, their male 
                classmates still receive higher pay on average for the 
                same work. Women also hold disproportionately fewer 
                science and engineering jobs. That is why my 
                Administration launched our Educate to Innovate 
                campaign, which will inspire young people from all 
                backgrounds to drive America to the forefront of 
                science, technology, engineering, and math. By 
                increasing women's participation in these fields, we 
                will foster a new generation of innovators to follow in 
                the footsteps of the three American women selected as 
                2009 Nobel Laureates.

                 Our Nation's commitment to women's rights must not end 
                at our own borders, and my Administration is making 
                global women's empowerment a core pillar of our foreign 
                policy. My Administration created the first Office for 
                Global Women's Issues and appointed an Ambassador at 
                Large to head it. We are working with the United 
                Nations and other international institutions to support 
                women's equality and to curtail violence against women 
                and girls, especially in situations of war and 
                conflict. We are partnering internationally to improve 
                women's welfare through targeted investments in 
                agriculture, nutrition, and health, as well as programs 
                that empower women to contribute to economic and social 
                progress in their communities. And we are following 
                through on the commitments I made in Cairo to promote 
                access to education, improve literacy, and expand 
                employment opportunities for women and girls.

[[Page 10632]]

                 This month, let us carry forth the legacy of our 
                mothers and grandmothers. As we honor the women who 
                have shaped our Nation, we must remember that we are 
                tasked with writing the next chapter of women's 
                history. Only if we teach our daughters that no 
                obstacle is too great for them, that no ceiling can 
                block their ascent, will we inspire them to reach for 
                their highest aspirations and achieve true equality.

                 NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, 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 March 2010 as Women's 
                History Month. I call upon all our citizens to observe 
                this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and 
                activities that honor the history, accomplishments, and 
                contributions of American women.

                 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                second day of March, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2010-5108
Filed 3-8-10; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-W0-P