Women's History Month

WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, as Dean of the Senate Women, I rise on this day in Women's History Month to honor the unique contributions women have made to America since its beginning and to pay my respects to all the forgotten women who have served this country. Women's roles in history are often overlooked and undervalued. But we have shaped, and continue to shape, society--not only in terms of battles fought and won--but through great social movements.

Women were the driving force behind the abolitionists, who helped end slavery and fought for the fourteenth amendment. And, of course, women led the suffragist movement, which sought to curb domestic violence by ending drinking and gave women control of their lives with the right to vote. The list goes on and on--and it is still growing.

Last month, we said goodbye to a true pioneer for women's rights--Betty Friedan. Ms. Friedan opened Americans' minds to the possibility of a new role for women in our country with her book, ``The Feminine Mystique.'' She provided the spark in 1963 to launch another movement for women's rights. And she kept that fire going--dedicating her life to fighting for equality, founding the National Organization for Women and NARAL, and cofounding the National Women's Political Caucus with Gloria Steinem and myself.

Last month, Maryland and the world also said hello to another female star in her own right--Kimmie Meissner of Bel Air, MD, who took sixth place in Olympic women's figure skating. Every March, we point to those women who have come before us and who have paved the way for current advances, but it is only right and proper that we also salute the ones who are making history as we speak and inspiring other young women to follow their dreams. This year, we salute Kimmie Meissner and the honor she brought Maryland and our great Nation with her talent, skills and sportsmanship.

The passion that inspired both of these women is the same that helped me to realize my own dreams--giving me the courage to break the glass ceiling as a social worker, a Baltimore City councilwoman, a U.S. Congresswoman and now as a U.S. Senator. That is why I sponsored legislation as a Congresswoman in 1981 to establish a Women's History Week and then in the Senate to expand the observance into Women's History Month in 1987.

As the first Democratic woman elected to the Senate in her own right in 1986, I have seen the Senate women grow to the nine Democratic women Senators and 14 total women we have now. Today, I am Dean of the Senate Women--welcoming and guiding women Senators when they first take office and building coalitions to get things done once they are here.

Together, we have been working to add to the legacy of women's history, and every year during this month we are especially reminded of our ongoing fight for equality. Since 1992, women Senators have tripled funding for domestic violence shelters, increased funding for child care by 68 percent and small business lending to women by 86 percent. And we have passed such important legislation as the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Violence Against Women Act, and the Breast Cancer Research Stamp Act.

One of the issues that has been most important to me is women's health. When I first came to the Senate, women's health wasn't a national priority. But since then I have helped to establish an Office of Research on Women's Health at the National Institutes of Health, to increase women's involvement in clinical drug trials, and to increase funding for breast cancer research by 700 percent since 1992. I will continue to fight to make sure that women's health remains a priority in the Federal checkbook and that women are not left behind when it comes to their survival.

This year in the Senate I have also been fighting to save American workers' pensions. Women are more likely to have either lower pensions than men or no private pension at all. That is why it is so important to make sure their retirement is secure. And that is why I fought with my colleagues to improve retirement security for women by ensuring better survivor benefits and better rights for divorced women in the new pension legislation.

Because women are less likely to have these private pensions, make less money than men on average, and are more likely to work fewer years than men due to family responsibilities, Social Security is also of particular importance to us. Last year, I successfully fought to protect Social Security from privatization so that women and all people are guaranteed lifetime, inflation-proof Social Security. I truly believe that privatization of Social Security would have been a bad deal for women and would have increased poverty among them. Whether mothers are at home raising children or in the workplace, Social Security must remain a guaranteed benefit, not a guaranteed gamble. That is why I will continue to stand sentry to keep the `security' in Social Security.

And I will continue fighting to close the wage gap between men and women. Women make this country run--we are business leaders, entrepreneurs, politicians, mothers and more. But even in 2006, women who work full-time year round earn only 76 cents for every $1 their male counterpart makes.

There are many terrific accomplishments we have made and are continuing to make in the ongoing struggle for women's equality. I am so proud of the women who I serve with in the Senate and the work that we do, but I am reminded, especially during this month, that we can do more. Betty Friedan, Kimmie Meissner, and millions of women past and present serve as models for unwavering advocates for equality, justice, women and positive change. So during this Women's History Month I not only honor their courage and hard work, I vow to carry on their legacy.

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