Women's History Month, 2010

___________________________________________________________________

Title 3--
The President

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 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 Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.