National Council of Women

“ The eight million women who form the International Council of Women, and express the collective opinion of women the world over, are not exceptional types, although they may possess exceptional intelligence. They are merely good citizens, wives, and mothers. Their program contains nothing especially radical. ”

“ We’ll work with the National Security Council to advance gender equality globally, recognizing the needs and roles of women and girls in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, humanitarian crises, and development assistance. ”

“ To continue this progress, I issued an Executive Order establishing the White House Council on Women and Girls. This high-level body, composed of Cabinet members and heads of sub-Cabinet agencies, is charged with advancing the rights and needs of women, including equal pay. Still, Government can only advance this issue so far. The collective action of businesses, community organizations, and individuals is necessary to ensure that every woman receives just treatment and compensation. ”

“ Reforms to Development Councils have opened up new ways for women’s organizations to participate at the national, regional and departmental level. The Presidential Secretariat for Women was established to ensure that public policies are consistent with gender-focused guidelines, but its budget was insufficient to fully carry out its mandate. A coalition of women’s groups and other civil society organizations prepared a draft law that instils a gender perspective into the Labour Code, but this was not acted upon in the Congress. ”

“ We’ve already begun working with colleagues at the White House to address women’s economic security, caregiving, pay equity, and education. We are taking on gender-based violence, wherever it occurs. And globally, we are engaged with the United Nations and the G-7 to rejoin allies from around the world to advance gender equality. Soon, the Gender Policy Council will begin to convene key external groups and stakeholders—policymakers and political leaders, advocates for gender justice and social justice, academics and experts, and leaders in philanthropy and the private sector. ”

“ But while in theory our government recognizes the rights of all people, in practice it is far behind the Declaration of Independence and the national constitution. On what just ground is discrimination made between men and women? Why should women, more than men, be governed without their own consent? Why should women, more than men, be denied trial by a jury of their peers? On what authority are women taxed while unrepresented? By what right do men declare themselves invested with power to legislate for women? ”

“ My Administration will continue to support the advancement of women, in every corner of the Nation. One of my first actions as President was to establish the United States-Canada Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders. ”

“ Despite all these steps taken in my country, there is still a lot more to be done to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Women make up more than half the population of my country (52%) . They make a significant contribution to the national economy and the wellbeing of our society. ”

“ But to see the three chief figures of this great movement of Woman's Rights sitting upon a stage in joint council, like the three Parcæ or Fates of a new dispensation—dignity and the ever-acceptable grace of scholarly earnestness, intelligence, and beneficence making them prominent—is assurance that the women of our country, bereft of defenders, or injured by false ones, have advocates equal to the great demands of their cause. ”

“ The Cabinet in 1919 proposed a bill which would give a vote to all women over 23 years old and it was placed on the program of the Republican party. There are eight or ten suffrage societies in different cities united in a Supreme Feminist Council, which holds congresses and has presented to the Parliament petitions signed by thousands of women asking for complete political and legal equality. ”

“ However the governments, religions, laws and customs of nations may differ, all are agreed on one point, namely: man's sovereignty in the State, in the Church and in the Home. In an International Council women may hope to devise new and more effective methods for securing in these three institutions the equality and justice which they have so long and so earnestly sought. Such a Council will impress the important lesson that the position of women anywhere affects their position everywhere. ”

“ This person will focus on how policies disproportionately create or maintain barriers for women and girls, particularly women and girls of color. As Co-Chairs, we will submit a government-wide strategy for advancing gender equity and gender equality to the President, compiling key recommendations from all federal agencies and policy councils. Each year, we will measure our progress against clear goals and hold ourselves accountable for meeting them. ”

“ The national government has the power, granted it by the constitution, to enfranchise women. It has, therefore, the duty of doing so, if women’s claim to enfranchisement is just.
The President knows as well as we do the enormous difficulty of winning the vote by amending the Constitution of thirty-nine different States. It is amazing that a man can be found who will calmly direct women to take up this great burden when men are responsible for their need. Men alone, in all but ten States, have the power to change our laws. ”

“ We will work for a significant increase in investments to close the gender gap and strengthen support for institutions in relation to gender equality and the empowerment of women at the global, regional and national levels. All forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls will be eliminated, including through the engagement of men and boys. The systematic mainstreaming of a gender perspective in the implementation of the Agenda is crucial. ”

“ Marriage, to women as to men, must be a luxury, not a necessity; an incident of life, not all of it. And the only possible way to accomplish this great change is to accord to women equal power in the making, shaping and controlling of the circumstances of life. That equality of rights and privileges is vested in the ballot, the symbol of power in a republic. Hence, our first and most urgent demand—that women shall be protected in the exercise of their inherent, personal, citizen's right to a voice in the government, municipal, state, national. ”

“ To compare the laws of the various countries and to select the best and clearest laws to be used as a standard to which other states should be urged to raise their legislation, will be one of the great missions for the women lawyers connected with the various national leagues of women voters.
That women have the ability as well as the hearty desire to contribute in this way to the progress and welfare of the human race, needs no further explanation. It is for the men to accept and encourage their help and to utilize it to the fullest extent. ”

“ Calls upon the Government of the Republic of South Sudan to take measures to improve women’s participation in the outstanding issues of the CPA and post-independence arrangements and to enhance the engagement of South Sudanese women in public decision-making at all levels including by promoting women’s leadership, ensuring appropriate representation of women in the revision of South Sudan’s Constitution, supporting women’s organizations, and countering negative societal attitudes about women’s capacity to participate equally ”

“ But woman's right to self-government does not depend upon the numbers that demand it, but upon precisely the same principles that man claims it for himself.
Where did man get the authority that he now claims to govern one-half of humanity, from what power the right to place woman, his helpmeet in life, in an inferior position? Came it from nature? Nature made woman his superior when she made her his mother—his equal when she fitted her to hold the sacred position of wife. Did women meet in council and voluntarily give up all their claim to be their own law-makers? ”

“ At this dawn of a new century are not the sons of the Revolutionary Fathers sufficiently progressive to remove the barriers which for more than a hundred years have prevented women from exercising this citizen's right? We appeal to this great national delegate body, representing the men of every State, gathered to outline the policy and select the head of the Government for the next four years, to adopt in your platform a declaration approving the submission by Congress of an amendment enfranchising women. ”

“ Those active in great philanthropic enterprises sooner or later realize that, so long as women are not acknowledged to be the political equals of men, their judgment on political questions will have but little weight.
It is, however, neither intended nor desired that discussions in the International Council shall be limited to questions touching the political rights of women. Formal invitations requesting the appointment of delegates will be issued to representative organizations in every department of woman's work. ”

“ The Council shall coordinate Federal Government efforts to advance gender equity and equality, including policies and programs to:
combat systemic biases and discrimination, including sexual harassment, and to support women’s human rights; increase economic security and opportunity by addressing the structural barriers to women’s participation in the labor force and by decreasing wage and wealth gaps; address the caregiving needs of American families and support the care-workers they depend upon ”

“ A government-wide approach to gender policy means that every agency and every policy team is at the table, and that every issue is approached with gender equity in mind. We’ll work closely with the Office on Violence Against Women at the Department of Justice to end gender-based violence against women, girls, and LGBTQ+ people ”

“ There are many political reform organizations and almost without exception they are willing to include women in any rights obtained. Increased opportunities for their education have been opened and there are hundreds of women university graduates. In several cities the limited municipal vote that men have is shared by women and they are eligible to the council. In 1917 [Pg 770] Great Britain announced that self-government would be given to the people of India and the Women's Indian Association and other agencies began a strenuous campaign to have women included. ”

“ The object of this great world organization of women is to provide a common center for women of every country, race, creed, or party who are associating themselves together in altruistic work. Once every five years the International Council holds a great world congress of women. ”