[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 168 (Friday, August 29, 2014)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 51885-51886]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-20875]



[[Page 51883]]

Vol. 79

Friday,

No. 168

August 29, 2014

Part V





The President





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Proclamation 9153--Women's Equality Day, 2014
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  Federal Register / Vol. 79 , No. 168 / Friday, August 29, 2014 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 51885]]

                Proclamation 9153 of August 25, 2014

                
Women's Equality Day, 2014

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                On August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment was certified, 
                securing for women the fundamental right to vote. The 
                product of decades spent organizing, protesting, and 
                agitating, it was a turning point on the long march 
                toward equality for all, and it inspired generations of 
                courageous women who took up this unfinished struggle 
                in their own time. On the anniversary of this civil 
                rights milestone, we honor the character and 
                perseverance of America's women and all those who work 
                to make the same rights and opportunities possible for 
                our daughters and sons.

                When women are given the opportunity to succeed, they 
                do. Younger women graduate college at higher rates than 
                men and are more likely to hold a graduate school 
                degree. They are nearly half our workforce, and 
                increasingly they are the primary breadwinner for 
                families. But too often, the women and girls who lift 
                up our Nation achieve extraordinary success only after 
                overcoming the legacy of unequal treatment.

                My Administration is committed to tearing down the 
                barriers--wherever they exist--that deny women equal 
                opportunity. We prohibited gender discrimination in our 
                health care system, made it easier for women to 
                challenge unfair pay, and invested in programs that 
                help women enter high-paying careers. We fought to 
                improve student grants and loans to ensure a college 
                education is within the reach of every woman, and we 
                established the White House Task Force to Protect 
                Students from Sexual Assault because no matter where 
                women pursue a brighter future, they have the right to 
                do so without fear.

                From classrooms to boardrooms, in cities and towns 
                across America, and in the ranks of our Armed Forces, 
                women are succeeding like never before. Their 
                contributions are growing our economy and advancing our 
                Nation. But despite these gains, the dreams of too many 
                mothers and daughters continue to be deferred and 
                denied. There is still more work to do and more doors 
                of opportunity to open. When women receive unequal pay 
                or are denied family leave and workplace flexibility, 
                it makes life harder for our mothers and daughters, and 
                it hurts the loved ones they support. These outdated 
                policies and old ways of thinking deprive us of our 
                Nation's full talents and potential. That is why this 
                June we held the first-ever White House Summit on 
                Working Families to develop a comprehensive agenda that 
                ensures hard working Americans do not have to choose 
                between being productive employees and responsible 
                family members. We know that when women and girls are 
                free to pursue their own measure of happiness in all 
                aspects of their lives, they strengthen our families, 
                enrich our communities, and better our country. We know 
                that when women succeed, America succeeds.

                In the 21st century, a mother should be able to raise 
                her daughter and be her role model--showing her that 
                with hard work, there are no limits to what she can 
                accomplish. On Women's Equality Day, we continue the 
                righteous work of building a society where women 
                thrive, where every door is open to them, and their 
                every dream can be realized.

[[Page 51886]]

                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 August 26, 2014, as 
                Women's Equality Day. I call upon the people of the 
                United States to celebrate the achievements of women 
                and promote gender equality in our country.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-fifth day of August, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
                ninth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2014-20875
Filed 8-28-14; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F4