[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 168 (Tuesday, August 30, 2016)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 59421-59423]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-20949]


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                         Presidential Documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 81 , No. 168 / Tuesday, August 30, 2016 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 59421]]

                Proclamation 9477 of August 25, 2016

                
Women's Equality Day, 2016

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Nearly one century ago, with boundless courage and 
                relentless commitment, dedicated women who had marched, 
                advocated, and organized for the right to cast a vote 
                finally saw their efforts rewarded on August 26, 1920, 
                when the 19th Amendment was certified and the right to 
                vote was secured. In the decades that followed, that 
                precious right has bolstered generations of women and 
                empowered them to stand up, speak out, and steer the 
                country they love in a more equal direction. Today, as 
                we celebrate the anniversary of this hard-won 
                achievement and pay tribute to the trailblazers and 
                suffragists who moved us closer to a more just and 
                prosperous future, we resolve to protect this 
                constitutional right and pledge to continue fighting 
                for equality for women and girls.

                At every level of society, women are leaders at the 
                forefront of progress. Serving as judges and Members of 
                Congress, setting world records in sports, founding 
                groundbreaking companies, and fighting on the front 
                lines of combat, women continue to tear down barriers 
                and shatter glass ceilings--just as they have done 
                since the founding of our Nation. Yet such progress is 
                not inevitable, and we must keep moving forward on our 
                journey toward equality. In one of my first acts as 
                President, I established the White House Council on 
                Women and Girls to provide a coordinated response to 
                challenges confronted by women and girls, ensuring 
                their concerns and insights are taken into account in 
                our policies and programs. And this year, my 
                Administration hosted the first-ever United State of 
                Women Summit to continue our efforts to underscore the 
                passion, success, and ongoing commitment of advocates 
                dedicated to advancing gender equality and realizing a 
                brighter future for women of all ages.

                No woman should earn less than a man for doing the same 
                job--equal pay for equal work should be a fundamental 
                principle of our economy and our democracy. That is why 
                the first bill I signed into law as President was the 
                Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and why I continue to 
                call on the Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. 
                Women make up roughly half of our workforce, and we 
                need to invest more in affordable, high-quality 
                childcare. We must strengthen paid sick, maternity, and 
                family leave--too many families are forced to make 
                difficult choices between caring for a newborn and 
                receiving a paycheck, or staying home to help a sick 
                child or parent and keeping their job. And we must 
                continue striving for fairness and opportunity when it 
                comes to improving workplace policies, because we know 
                that when women succeed, our economy and our country 
                succeed.

                Ensuring all young women can live full and healthy 
                lives is vital to their pursuit of personal and 
                professional goals. Because of the Affordable Care Act, 
                individuals can no longer be charged higher premiums 
                simply for being a woman. But there is still more we 
                can do to reduce discrimination when it comes to 
                women's health--such as protecting a woman's right to 
                choose and safeguarding access to sexual and 
                reproductive health services, including abortion. Every 
                person should be able to live and reach for their 
                dreams free from fear of violence: In America, nearly 
                one in four women has suffered physical domestic 
                violence, a cruelty which deprives its victims

[[Page 59422]]

                of their autonomy, liberty, and security, and inhibits 
                them from reaching their full potential. Approximately 
                one in five women is sexually assaulted while in 
                college. Through the It's On Us campaign and the White 
                House Task Force to Protect Students From Sexual 
                Assault, we have called on individuals, communities, 
                and institutions of higher education to recognize what 
                they can do to stop sexual assault and change our 
                culture for the better. We have striven to support 
                survivors and focused on making sure our schools are 
                safe places where all students can learn, grow, and 
                thrive. Transgender women often face escalated levels 
                of discrimination and violence, and we have taken a 
                number of steps to secure their civil rights, including 
                providing guidance to educators that can help rid 
                school environments of discrimination. The Department 
                of Justice has also urged law enforcement agencies to 
                address any form of gender bias that exists in 
                responding to domestic violence and sexual assault and 
                ensure that such bias does not undermine efforts to 
                keep victims safe.

                Underrepresented in management positions, underfunded 
                as entrepreneurs, under-encouraged in STEM fields, and 
                confronted with higher levels of unemployment, women 
                and girls of color still face very real challenges, 
                significant opportunity gaps, and structural barriers. 
                That is why we have hosted forums to discuss ways to 
                increase programming and promote opportunities for 
                women and girls of color so they can achieve success at 
                school, at work, and in their communities. To continue 
                building these ladders of opportunity for women--not 
                just in communities across our country, but also around 
                the world--I have made advancing gender equality a 
                foreign policy priority. My Administration has sought 
                to end gender-based violence across the globe, promote 
                the role of women in ending conflict and building 
                lasting peace and security, and empower the next 
                generation by investing in adolescent girls and 
                breaking down barriers to get 62 million girls into 
                schools through the Let Girls Learn initiative.

                In the many decades since suffragists organized and 
                mobilized, countless advocates and leaders have picked 
                up the mantle and moved our Nation and our world 
                forward. Today, young women in America grow up knowing 
                an historic truth--that not only can they cast a vote, 
                but they can also run for office and help shape the 
                very democracy that once left them out. For these 
                women, and for generations of women to come, we must 
                keep building a more equal America--whether through the 
                stories we tell about our Nation's history or the faces 
                we display on our country's currency. On Women's 
                Equality Day, as we recognize the accomplishments that 
                so many women fought so hard to achieve, we rededicate 
                ourselves to tackling the challenges that remain and 
                expanding opportunity for women and girls everywhere.

                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, 2016, as 
                Women's Equality Day. I call upon the people of the 
                United States to celebrate the achievements of women 
                and promote gender equality.

[[Page 59423]]

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

[FR Doc. 2016-20949
Filed 8-29-16; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F6-P