Women's History Museum

Floor Speech

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Mrs. BEATTY. Thank you to my colleagues.

I would like to thank Mr. Horsford and Mr. Jeffries for hosting the Congressional Black Caucus' important discussion on celebrating Women's History Month. As we honor so many women who have shaped our history, let us also celebrate those who make progress in today's time.

Certainly, you will hear throughout this hour, ``When Women Succeed, America Succeeds.'' What an honor it was, Mr. Speaker, to hear our President of these United States say it before an audience of millions of people in his State of the Union address. More importantly than his saying it is how it was received. People received it in the spirit that he said it. Do you know why, Mr. Speaker? It is because, when women succeed, America succeeds.

As you have heard, in 1987, Congress declared March to be National Women's History Month, giving the Nation the chance to salute the trailblazers who paved the way for so many of us to have the rights that we have today. National Women's History Month gives us an opportunity to acknowledge the groundbreakers of the past, thank the heroines of today, and inspire the leaders of the future. It is a reminder that, if we believe in ourselves, we can really make a difference.

It reminds us of women like Rosa Parks--the mother of the modern civil rights movement--or the woman known for: I shall be unbought and unbossed. Yes, Mr. Speaker, Shirley Chisholm, who ran for President and who was the first African American woman elected to Congress, and, yes, Dorothy Height, who, if still living, would have just this week celebrated her 102nd birthday. There are so many more women we could talk about--women of the past or today--like our very own Congressional Black Caucus chairwoman, Marcia Fudge, from the great State of Ohio. Others are unknown outside of their own families and communities, people like my grandmother and my great-aunt and like my 90-year-old mother, who lives today and sets a great example, not only for her three daughters, but for women across this Nation. All of them are a part of our history, and their courage and dedication have helped to sustain the American spirit.

These pioneers and heroines have brought down barriers and have created new opportunities. We have now witnessed the first African American woman Secretary of State, the first female Speaker of the United States House of Representatives--a woman I get to sit with on a weekly basis, a woman who sets an example. Yes, she is Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi. There is now a record number of women serving in Congress, with 20 women serving in the Senate and 82 women serving in the House of Representatives. However, although women have made great strides, there is much more to do.

We continue to face discrimination in the workplace. We have a higher risk of sexual assault and an earnings gap that will cost the average woman hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of her working lifetime. An average woman still makes 77 cents for every dollar made by men, and the gap is even wider for Black women. On average, Black women earn only 64 cents for every dollar earned by White men. In addition, women-owned businesses continue to lag behind male-owned businesses. The average revenue of women-owned businesses is only 27 percent of the average revenue by male-owned businesses.

In response to these and other challenges women are currently facing, in July 2013, House Democrats unveiled ``When Women Succeed, America Succeeds: An Economic Agenda for Women and Families.'' This platform addresses the need to ensure that women get equal pay for equal work. It helps to ensure work and family balance by allowing working parents to support their families and to care for their children. So many of us in this Chamber understand that. It also recognizes that expanding educational opportunities, increasing job training, and investing in women entrepreneurs is essential for women's success in our economy.

Federal investments have and continue to help ensure economic opportunities for women and girls. For example, earning a college degree remains one of the surest pathways to the middle class. Women with a bachelor's degree earn more than 80 percent more than those with a high school degree. Today, more than 11 million women are pursuing a postsecondary education, and average graduation rates for women exceed those of their male counterparts, but we certainly know everyone will not go to college, and that is okay. We have to continue to fight to make sure that there is a place for women in workforce development, in higher education, in the home, or in whatever work they choose to do. Women in STEM fields make, on average, 33 percent more than women in non-STEM fields, and certainly we know that technology and innovation in STEM--science, technology, engineering, and math--is the way of the future.

So let me just say to my colleagues: Thank you for hosting this evening on Women's History Month. Thank you for honoring women.

To all of the women--the mothers, the sisters, the aunts, the girlfriends--who are watching us: remember, when women succeed, America succeeds.

Thank you.

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