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

    PROCLAMATION 8481--MAR. 2, 2010

    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

    [[Page 4594]]

    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.
    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 Inde-

    [[Page 4595]]

    pendence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
    fourth.
    BARACK OBAMA