Happy International Women's Day!

“Let it be that human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights once and for all.” That was then First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton speaking before the United Nation’s 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995 to promote women’s rights in the home, in the workplace, as equal earners, and on the local and global political stage. 

While great strides have been made to promote gender equality and empower women, according to the UNDP, women still represent 60 percent of the 1.4 billion people living on less than $1.25 a day, but own only 1 percent of the world’s wealth. Less than 16 percent of the world’s parliamentarians and more than two-thirds of the world’s illiterate are women. Study after study shows that investing in the education of women and girls can reduce poverty, stimulate the economy, and lead to better health and nutrition outcomes for women and their families.

March 8 marks the I00th Anniversary of International Women’s Day. Celebrate today by honoring the amazing women you know, and by advocating for greater equality for all. And, check out this great International Women’s Day video from now Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton!