[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 42 (Thursday, March 3, 2022)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 11929-11931]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-04614]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 42 / Thursday, March 3, 2022 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 11929]]


                Proclamation 10345 of February 28, 2022

                
Women's History Month, 2022

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Every March, Women's History Month provides an 
                opportunity to honor the generations of trailblazing 
                women and girls who have built our Nation, shaped our 
                progress, and strengthened our character as a people.

                Throughout our history, despite hardship, exclusion, 
                and discrimination, women have strived and sacrificed 
                for equity and equality in communities across the 
                country. Generations of Native American women were 
                stewards of the land and continue to lead the fight for 
                climate justice. Black women fought to end slavery, 
                advocate for civil rights, and pass the Voting Rights 
                Act. Suffragists helped pass the 19th Amendment to the 
                Constitution so that no American could be denied a vote 
                on the basis of sex.

                Standing on the shoulders of the heroines who came 
                before them, today's women and girls continue to carry 
                forward the mission of ensuring our daughters have the 
                same opportunities as our sons. Women of the labor 
                movement are achieving monumental reforms to help all 
                workers secure the better pay, benefits, and safety 
                they deserve. LGBTQI+ women and girls are leading the 
                fight for justice, opportunity, and equality--
                especially for the transgender community. Women and 
                girls continue to lead groundbreaking civil rights 
                movements for social justice and freedom, so that 
                everyone can realize the full promise of America.

                But despite the progress being made, women and girls--
                especially women and girls of color--still face 
                systemic barriers to full participation and wider gaps 
                in opportunity and equality. The COVID-19 pandemic has 
                exposed and exacerbated those disparities which have 
                disproportionately impacted women's labor force 
                participation, multiplied the burden on paid and unpaid 
                caregivers, and increased rates of gender-based 
                violence. The constitutional right to abortion 
                established in Roe v. Wade is facing an unprecedented 
                assault as States pass increasingly onerous 
                restrictions to critical reproductive health care and 
                bodily autonomy. Workers contend with gender and racial 
                wage gaps that can amount to hundreds of thousands of 
                dollars denied over the course of their lifetimes. The 
                Congress sent the Equal Rights Amendment to the States 
                for ratification 50 years ago and it is long past time 
                that the principle of women's equality should be 
                enshrined in our Constitution.

                My Administration has made this issue a top priority 
                from day one. Through historic Executive actions, my 
                Administration launched Government-wide efforts to 
                advance gender equity and equality, racial equity, and 
                LGBTQI+ equality. Through the American Rescue Plan, my 
                Administration delivered immediate relief to women and 
                families, funded domestic violence and sexual assault 
                services, supported child care providers, and invested 
                in care workers--who are disproportionately women of 
                color. Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we 
                are working to ensure equitable access to good-paying 
                jobs, particularly in sectors where women have 
                historically been underrepresented. We have taken 
                critical steps to end the scourge of gender-based 
                violence and advocate for the long overdue 
                reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act--
                legislation that I was proud to author and champion as 
                a United States Senator. We are confronting the 
                epidemic

[[Page 11930]]

                levels of violence that transgender women and girls 
                continue to face. We are working to expand access to 
                health care, including reproductive health care for all 
                people regardless of their gender, race, ethnicity, 
                income, or zip code. We are fighting to lower the costs 
                of child care and provide access to free preschool for 
                all three- and four-year olds. We issued a call to 
                action to eliminate racial disparities in maternal 
                health care, which disproportionately impact Black and 
                Indigenous women. And my Administration established a 
                Gender Equity and Equality Action Fund to advance the 
                rights and economic security of women and girls around 
                the world.

                This work is being led by the most diverse and gender-
                balanced Cabinet in American history, including the 
                first woman--and woman of color--to serve as Vice 
                President, Kamala Harris; the first women ever to serve 
                as Treasury Secretary and Director of National 
                Intelligence; the first Native American woman to serve 
                as a Cabinet Secretary; women leading the Departments 
                of Commerce, Energy, Housing and Urban Development, 
                along with the Small Business Administration and the 
                Office of Management and Budget; and women of color 
                representing America on the world stage as United 
                States Ambassador to the United Nations and the United 
                States Trade Representative as well as leading my 
                Council of Economic Advisers in the White House. In 
                addition, I established the first White House Gender 
                Policy Council to advance gender equity across the 
                Federal Government and released the first-ever national 
                gender strategy to support the full participation of 
                all people--including women and girls--in the United 
                States and around the world.

                This Women's History Month, as we reflect on the 
                achievements of women and girls across the centuries 
                and pay tribute to the pioneers who paved the way, let 
                us recommit to the fight and help realize the deeply 
                American vision of a more equal society where every 
                person has a shot at pursuing the American dream. In 
                doing so, we will advance economic growth, our health 
                and safety, and the security of our Nation and the 
                world.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., 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 2022 as 
                Women's History Month. I call upon all Americans to 
                observe this month and to celebrate International 
                Women's Day on March 8, 2022, with appropriate 
                programs, ceremonies, and activities. I also invite all 
                Americans to visit www.WomensHistoryMonth.gov to learn 
                more about the vital contribution of women to our 
                Nation's history.

[[Page 11931]]

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

[FR Doc. 2022-04614
Filed 3-2-22; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F2-P