Press Releases

[] – Today, Rep. Frederica S. Wilson joined millions of Americans in marking the annual celebration of March as Women’s History Month – a commemoration that has occurred in America since 1987.

“During Women’s History Month, we celebrate the successes of America’s women throughout our history and the sacrifice of the bold women pioneers who broke down many barriers facing women,” Rep. Wilson said.

From the courageous women who attended the Seneca Falls Convention, the first women’s rights convention, in 1848 to the suffragettes who finally won women’s right to vote in 1920, all of America’s women today stand on the shoulders of these giants.

In recent years, there have also been many new gains for women. For example, there are now a record number of women serving in Congress, with a total of 108 women – 88 in the House and 20 in the Senate. By comparison, in 1970, there were only 11 women in Congress – 10 in the House and 1 in the Senate. Similarly, in recent years, America’s women have also made enormous strides in business, medicine, law, higher education, science, and the arts.

While we should recognize and celebrate all of the progress that has been made for America’s women, we should also recognize all the barriers that many of America’s women continue to face in attempting to achieve economic security for themselves and their families. Indeed, despite the progress that has been made, American women on average still earn only 79 cents for every dollar earned by men. And the United States continues to be the only developed country that does not ensure paid sick days or paid maternity leave.

“We need to build on the progress of the past by fighting to ensure that every American woman has the power to reach her full potential,” Rep. Wilson said. “That is why House Democrats are promoting an economic agenda for women and families – When Women Succeeds, America Succeeds. We are fighting for equal pay for equal work, paid sick days, paid family leave, affordable child care, and better retirement security – the policies that both women and men need to balance their responsibilities at work and at home.”

“As we celebrate Women’s History Month, let us continue to work to make an America for our daughters and our granddaughters where they will truly have the equal rights, the equal opportunities, and the equal treatment, that they so need and deserve,” Rep. Wilson concluded.

Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson is a third-term Congresswoman from Florida representing parts of Northern Miami-Dade and Southeast Broward counties. A former state legislator and school principal, she is the founder of the 5000 Role Models for Excellence Project, a mentoring program for young males at risk of dropping out of school. Congresswoman Wilson also founded the Florida Ports Caucus, a bipartisan taskforce that coordinates federal action in support of Florida’s harbors and waterways.