    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 124, 111th Congress, 2nd Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    PROCLAMATION 8548--AUG. 26, 2010

    Proclamation 8548 of August 26, 2010
    Women's Equality Day, 2010
    By the President of the United States of America
    A Proclamation

    Ninety years ago, on August 26, 1920, the ratification of the 19th
    Amendment to our Constitution was completed, guaranteeing women the
    right to vote, renewing our commitment to equality and justice, and
    marking a turning point in our Nation's history. As we celebrate this
    important milestone and the achievements and shattered ceilings of the
    past, we also recognize the inequalities that remain and our charge to
    overcome them.
    In a letter to John Adams, who was then serving as a delegate to the
    First Continental Congress, Abigail Adams once implored her husband to
    ``remember the ladies'' in the ``new code of laws'' of our fledgling
    country. It has taken the collective efforts of daring and tenacious
    women over many generations to realize the principles and freedoms
    enshrined in our Constitution. Standing on the shoulders of these
    trailblazers, we pay tribute to the brave women who dot the pages of our
    history books, and to those who have quietly broken barriers in our
    workplaces, communities, and society.
    We can see the remarkable fruits of past struggles and victories today.
    For nearly two centuries, America could only imagine a female justice
    sitting on the Supreme Court of the United States. Today, for the first
    time in our Nation's history, three women sit on the bench of the
    highest court of the land, and I am proud to be the first President to
    nominate two women to the Court. Women lead in boardrooms and in our
    Armed Forces, in classrooms and conference rooms, and in every sector of
    society. Their boundless determination has enabled today's young women
    to dream bigger as they see themselves reflected at the highest levels
    of business, communications, and public service--including in my
    Administration and Cabinet. If we continue to fight for our hopes and
    aspirations, there will be no limit to the possibilities for our
    daughters and granddaughters.
    As we celebrate 90 years of progress on Women's Equality Day, we also
    recognize the realities of the present. Women comprise less than one-
    fifth of our Congress and account for a mere fraction of the chief
    executives at the helm of our biggest companies. Women hold only 27
    percent of jobs in science and engineering, which are critical to our
    economic growth in a 21st-century economy. And, almost 50 years after
    the Equal Pay Act was enacted, American women still only earn 77 cents
    for every dollar men earn. This gap increases among minority women and
    those living with disabilities.

    These disparities remind us that our work remains unfinished. My
    Administration remains committed to advancing women's equality in all
    areas of our society and around the world. I was proud to create the
    White House Council on Women and Girls to help ensure that American
    women and girls are treated fairly in all matters of public policy. I
    also appointed the first White House Advisor on Violence Against Women,
    whose leadership will guide my Administration in confronting violence
    and sexual assault against women. The Lilly

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    Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the first bill I signed as President, restored
    basic protections against pay discrimination for women, and to build
    upon that law, I support passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act. I have
    also established the National Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force to ensure
    equal pay laws are vigorously enforced throughout the country. Workplace
    flexibility is also important to women and families, and we will
    continue coordinating with Federal agencies to make quality child care
    more affordable, promote work policies that improve work-family balance,
    and advance the economic development and security of all women.
    Fifteen years after the world gathered in Beijing for the Fourth World
    Conference on Women, far too many women around the world still lack
    access to basic education and economic opportunity, face gender-based
    violence, and cannot participate fully and equally in their societies.
    To help address this, I appointed the first-ever Ambassador at Large for
    Global Women's Issues to elevate the importance of women's empowerment
    in all aspects of our foreign policy. From Afghanistan to the Democratic
    Republic of the Congo, the United States will continue its commitment to
    the rights of women around the world.
    Women's rights are ultimately human rights, and the march for equality
    will not end until full parity and equal opportunity are attained in
    every State and workplace across our Nation. It remains our
    responsibility to ensure that the principles of justice and equality
    apply to all Americans, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual
    orientation, disability, or socioeconomic status. If we stay true to our
    founding ideals and the example of those who insisted upon nothing less
    than full equality, we can and will perpetuate the line of progress that
    runs throughout our Nation's history for generations to come.
    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, 2010, as
    Women's Equality Day. I call upon the people of the United States to
    celebrate the achievements of women and recommit themselves to the goal
    of true gender equality in this country.
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-sixth day of
    August, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the
    Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
    fifth.
    BARACK OBAMA