Hi, everyone --
In 1776, Abigail Adams wrote to John Adams, then serving on the Continental
Congress in Philadelphia, and reminded him to "not put such unlimited power into
the hands of the husbands."
Seventy-two years later, in 1848, women across the country gathered
together for the first women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York. And
it wasn't until 72 years after that, in 1920, that women in the United States
officially gained the right to vote.
Let's be honest: Change hasn't ever exactly come quickly for women in this
country. And 94 years later -- while it's undeniable that women have made leaps
and bounds in every facet of American life, from the classroom to the boardroom
-- it's not enough.
Today, on the anniversary of the 19th Amendment, we celebrate Women's
Equality Day. And today, the day-to-day operations of too many businesses and
institutions still don't reflect true gender equality. We've got the data to
prove it.
Throughout the day, I've posted charts that tell the story of the progress
we've made -- and the challenges women still face in the workforce.
In 2014, inequality and discrimination live on. Women, on average, continue
to earn less than their male counterparts (and that's 51 years after the Equal
Pay Act passed), and the gap is even greater for women of color. Our workplace
policies, on the whole, force many working parents to choose between their job
and their family -- and that's wrong.
This Administration has a long history of shattering our remaining glass ceilings and
upholding the rights of women -- but real gender equality is going
to take more than the President acting alone.
Right now, there's legislation before Congress that would make it better --
that would make it easier for women to discuss what they're being paid, and to
do something about it.
No major achievement for women's rights in this country has come easily.
It's always taken a determined group of women and men alike, doing everything
they could to organize, protest, and agitate the system they aimed to
change.
The year 2014 is no different. So if you're ready for real equality for
women, then make sure everyone you know has the facts.
- Betsey
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