Remarks on Signing Proclamation 4785 on Women's Equality Day, 1980

I've been asked to sign the ,proclamation first and then make my remarks, but I'll use the Presidential prerogative and make my remarks first— [laughter] —because I would like to put into context the importance of this day.

It's obvious that the banners aligned behind me here represent a great deal of courage, a great deal of conviction, a great deal of American history, a great deal of persecution and frustration, temporary failure. We're here to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the ratification and the implementation of the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the amendment that gave women the right to vote.

I'm very pleased that, I believe, we have three Members of Congress here-Cardiss Collins, Geraldine Ferraro, and Pat Schroeder—who represent part of the ultimate culmination of women's right to vote—full participation in the political process; advancement, not only for women but for all Americans. And we are here also to dedicate ourselves to the attainment of full equality for women in every single aspect of American life.

Looking back 60 years, women did not win the right to vote easily or quickly. More than 72 years elapsed, as a matter of fact, between the women's rights convention assembled in Seneca Falls, New York, and the time when the adoption of the 19th amendment signified that great victory, years in which literally generations of courageous women continued their crusade in spite of the powerful opposition of economic and political forces and in spite of repeated disappointments that would have caused an end to the effort of lesser human beings. Women were fighting not only for their own rights but for the rights of all who were excluded from or mistreated in the American society. They set an example of dedication to justice, to liberty, and to opportunity that inspires and strengthens us here six decades later as we seek to complete the victory which they initiated.

I share that commitment, and as President of all Americans, I'm not waiting until women enjoy a full equality in all the areas of American life before doing all I can to help women enjoy the full responsibilities of participation in the Federal Government.

We've got a long way to go. In my first 3 years as President, I've appointed as many women to Cabinet positions as were appointed in the previous 200 years. Women have headed the Departments of Education; Health and Human Services, whose budget is the third biggest in the world—the only two budgets larger are the United States Government in its entirety and the Government of the Soviet Union—Commerce; Housing and Urban Development. And they also, of course, have served and do serve in high-level positions in agencies like Agriculture, Defense, Transportation, mine safety, workers safety and health, management and budget, in every area of Government life. It's not enough, I recognize that.

There are now 43 Federal judges who are women. I appointed 38 of them. And among the 38 that I've appointed, their qualifications have been superb. We have never been tempted even to lower the standards of professional capability nor judicial temperament in order to find women to serve. That's not enough. I don't say it to brag. These judges, as you know, will be interpreting all rights in this generation, for our children and also for our children's children.

To eliminate discrimination in employment in the Federal Government and discrimination in promotion and also to improve our Government at the same time, I fought for and won with your help a complete revision of civil service, the first reform in a hundred years. And just in the recent months, since that reform took place, the impact of it is beginning to be felt. The number of women in the highest ranks of the civil service have already increased by 45 percent. That's not enough, because the original base was so small, but the reforms that we have implemented are now taking effect. We now have in the mid-level grades, where women were formerly largely excluded as you well know, women holding 3 out of every 10 jobs. Since I've been in office, because of reorganization and other changes, we have had a decrease in the total number of Federal employees, but the number of women workers in the Federal Government has increased by 66,000. We're making some progress—still a long way to go.

We've set high standards for every Federal agency and department to increase the prime contracts for goods and services to be awarded to businesses that are owned and managed by women. We've exceeded all those goals. Many of those goals were set by those of you who advised me on what our Nation should strive to attain. You didn't set the goals quite high enough. I know you'll correct that in the near future.

We've consolidated 19 Government units involved in equal employment opportunity under Eleanor Holmes Norton into one agency, at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Cases that once languished for years are now resolved almost immediately. When I was elected and took office, we had 30,000 back cases involving discrimination against minorities and women. Now that backlog has been almost completely eliminated, and a lot of the examples that have been set in the successful prosecution of those cases has prevented further discrimination that would have led to additional backlogs of thousands of cases.

In all these areas of opportunity—and I won't belabor the point—we simply must do more. Equality for women, as you know, is not just limited to jobs nor to business sales nor to involvement in the Federal Government or the free enterprise system of our country. It involves education and advancement and full participation in every single aspect of our society.

Women have not been deprived in one area, and that is the burden of hard work and labor. Women comprise 43 percent of our total workforce. What they have been deprived of is equal pay, equal opportunity, equal chances for promotion. The average working woman earns only 59 percent as the average working man in our country. The results are costly to our Nation, yes, but they are cruel to the families that must depend on the income of that woman to meet the family's needs. One-fourth of all the American families are headed by a woman, but one-half of all the families below the poverty level are headed by a woman.

Some sociologists say that the dramatic movement of women into the mainstream of society, especially into the labor market, is the most significant social revolution in history. You may or may not agree with that assessment, because civil rights is also a major change in societal structure, but the two are so closely interrelated that it's almost impossible to separate the one from another.

The U.S. Congress has voted overwhelmingly to eliminate discrimination under the laws that still exist, to the embarrassment of our Nation. Women's rights vary from State to State. Not only the U.S. Congress but the majority of State legislatures, 35 of them as a matter of fact, have voted to end this injustice. The majority of the American people in poll after poll have declared their desire to end this injustice. Every President who has lived in this house and served in this office since Franklin D. Roosevelt has supported the equal rights amendment. Both the Democratic and Republican Party platforms have supported the equal rights amendment in every Presidential election for the last 40 years—until this year, when the Republicans repudiated it.

The issue has not changed; the injustice against women has not changed; the position of State legislatures and the Congress have not changed; the position of the majority of Americans has not changed. All that has changed is the strength and the organization and the financing of the opposition—and the Republican Party's rejection of their own historic support of equal rights for women. Now they say that equal rights for women are acceptable in principle, but not in the Constitution of the United States. If they know in their hearts it's right, why don't they want it in the laws?

It's not enough for the new Republican leaders to give this emphasis in their own hearts. Women need equality in their paychecks and in their opportunities to get an education, and to get a job, and to enter a profession, and to get a loan, and to own a house, and to care for a family, and to get a promotion, and to start a business of their own. Well, that's why we are going to see, working together, that the principle of equal rights for women is not left to the faint hearts of those who took it out of a party platform. But we're going to make sure that before June of 1982 that equal rights for women are guaranteed in the Constitution of the United States.

I'd like to read a proclamation that I'll sign in just a moment. It's entitled "Women's Equality Day, 1980."

[At this point, the President read the proclamation.]

"In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand" this date—and at this time, I would like to sign this proclamation and ask all of you who observed to join in with me in a total commitment, yourselves and all those who look to you for leadership, in making sure that the purposes of this proclamation and the ratification of the equal rights amendment is a culmination that will be enjoyed, not just by women but by all those who love freedom in this country and around the world.

Thank you very much.