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WOMEN'S EQUALITY DAY, 1998 By the President of the
United States of America
A
Proclamation
Since the earliest days of our democracy,
Americans have taken great pride and found great purpose in our pursuit of
equality It is a right for which many have bravely struggled and the ideal that
challenges us even today to build a more perfect union and to forge a future in
which our children know no boundaries to their dreams. Each year, on Women's
Equality Day, we rededicate ourselves to the pursuit of full equality for women
and girls in our society
This year, as we reflect on the magnificent
journey and the extraordinary heroines and heroes of the women's rights
movement in America, we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the first women's
rights convention, which took place in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848 and set
our Nation on a course toward equality It was at this historic gathering that
pioneers such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Mary Ann McClintock,
and Frederick Douglass signed the Declaration of Sentiments-a document
unequivocally affirming that all men and women are created equal. Encouraged by
the truth of their convictions, these determined women and men set out to make
equality for women a reality in America.
In the decades following the
convention at Seneca Falls, many of the rights expressed in the prophetic
Declaration of Sentiments became law. The ratification of the 19th Amendment to
the Constitution secured a woman's right to vote; the passage of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964 barred employment discrimination; and the enactment of Title
IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 guaranteed equal opportunity in
education and sports.
This year, we recognize another milestone on the
road to women's equality: the 35th anniversary of the enactment of the Equal
Pay Act, which for the first time in our Nation's history guaranteed equal pay
to women who perform the same jobs as men. Only a generation ago, a woman could
legally be paid less for her time and talent solely because of her gender.
Today, we realize that the denial of equal pay not only unfairly limits a
woman's ability to provide for her family's economic security, but also
diminishes her dignity by belittling the value of her labor.
While we
have made progress in closing this pay gap in the 35 years since the enactment
of the Equal Pay Act, women today continue to make less than men for the same
work--earning 76 cents for every dollar paid to a man. As we celebrate the
Equal Pay Act's anniversary, we must reaffirm our commitment to making equal
pay for equal work a reality in the workplace. My Administration supports new
proposed legislation that will close the pay gap completely, strengthen
enforcement of the Equal Pay Act, and toughen penalties for
violations.
My Administration is striving to ensure women's equality in
other areas of our society. We have dramatically increased the funding for
research, prevention, and treatment of diseases that predominantly affect
women. Through the Family and Medical Leave Act that I signed and our proposed
child care initiative, we are working to help women balance their
responsibilities at home and on the job. During the past 5 years, the Small
Business Administration has tripled loans to women-owned businesses, and we
have strengthened enforcement of Title IX to ensure that education programs,
activities, and institutions receiving Federal funds do not discriminate on the
basis of gender.
On Women's Equality Day, as we look back on what we
have accomplished, we also recognize how far we have to go before we complete
the journey that began so long ago. As women continue to distinguish themselves
in boardrooms, classrooms, courtrooms, and family rooms across America, we must
renew our efforts to empower all women with the rights and opportunities
promised by our founders and fought for by the heroic women and men whose
achievements we honor today
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON,
President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in
me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim August
26, 1998, as Women's Equality Day I call upon the citizens of our great Nation
to observe this day with appropriate programs and activities.
IN WITNESS
WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of August, in the year
of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-eight, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and twenty-third.
WILLIAM J.
CLINTON |
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