Washington, D.C.--The following is a statement by Congressman Eliot Engel regarding Women’s Equality Day:

“Women Equality Day, which was established in 1971, commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment, the Woman Suffrage Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which gave U.S. women full voting rights in 1920.

“This is an important day to reflect on progress achieved by women. Today, women hold influential positions in government, including Speaker of the House, four Cabinet members, Ambassador to the United Nations, and two are Justices on the Supreme Court. Women have certainly come a long way from the days of the suffragettes.

“However, the quest for true equality continues as there is still much to accomplish. Our current health care system allows less than half of American women to obtain health coverage through their work. Coverage is currently available to 57% of men, but only to 48% of women. More than half of women have said they have delayed medical care due to expense, and that has resulted in too many of our wives, mothers, sisters and daughters suffering from poor health and late-diagnosed diseases.

“There are other issues facing women today, such as inequality in wages. However, through the recently-passed Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, women will have more power in seeking legal remedy for pay discrimination. Women still earn only 78 cents for every dollar made by men, meaning we still have a long way to go before we can say all Americans are earning equal pay for equal work.

“So, while women’s Equality Day honors the accomplishments of the past, we must make certain the work continues so one day all American women can have true equality.”