"Women are now the majority of graduates at colleges and universities. We make up nearly half of America's workforce. We got to get paid more for it. But we do. Women are thriving in every sector of our society. We are leading businesses. We're serving at the highest levels of government and the armed forces. We're breaking barriers and succeeding in careers that our mothers and grandmothers never could have imagined," First Lady Michelle Obama declared from the East Room of the White House Tuesday evening, commemorating the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day and celebrating Women's History Month.
Although International Women's Day does not get much recognition here in the States, in many countries abroad, it is considered to be a national holiday. It is a global day that recognizes the past, present and future political, economic and social achievements of women.
In some countries, the holiday is like Mother's Day, where folks express their love for the women in their lives by lavishing them with gifts. In other lands, there are "girls-only" gatherings and private party celebrations. But in countries like Iran, men and women were beaten and arrested by government officials for acknowledging and celebrating the holiday in 2007.
As far as how vital women are to the very fabric of this great nation, Mrs. Obama went on to elaborate:
"As more opportunities have become open to women, that hasn't just enriched our own lives. As we all know, it's enriched the life of this nation. And that's one of the reasons why we have to do this, because we need to remind ourselves and our country that we're here because of us. Because we as a nation benefit from every girl whose potential is fulfilled; from every woman whose talent is tapped. We benefit as a nation. We as a nation benefit from their intelligence, from their hard work, from their creativity, from their leadership."
Even though women have made vast accomplishments, a woman's work is never done.
"There are still barriers to break and more progress is needed in order to achieve equality," the First Lady explains. "We continue our work to promote entrepreneurship and workplace flexibility so that women can contribute as fully as possible to our economy. And while we've made some important strides, all of you in this room know better than anyone else that this work is far from finished. We have so, so much more to do. You all know better than just about anyone that change is hard, and change is slow. Many of you might not win the battles you're fighting or see the progress you're fighting for in your lifetimes. You know that. But I'm thinking tonight of a quote from the author Alice Walker, who once wrote, 'So our mothers and grandmothers have more often than not anonymously handed on the creative spark, the seed of the flower they themselves never hoped to see. And that is why all of you keep on fighting. That's why all of you keep on leading and working toward a better day for all of us.' "