When women succeed, America succeeds: Obama

Asserting that success of women translate into country's success, US President Barack Obama has said that there was still more work to do and more doors of opportunity to open for them.
"We know that when women succeed, America succeeds. In the 21st century, a mother should be able to raise her daughter and be her role model-showing her that with hard work, there are no limits to what she can accomplish," he said.
The US President, father of two teenage daughters, pledged to tear down all barriers that deny women equal opportunity, in his proclamation issued yesterday to declare August 26 as the Women's Equality day.

"But too often, the women and girls who lift up our nation achieve extraordinary success only after overcoming the legacy of unequal treatment," he said.
On August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment was certified, securing for women the fundamental right to vote in the country.
"My Administration is committed to tearing down the barriers -- wherever they exist -- that deny women equal opportunity. We prohibited gender discrimination in our health care system, made it easier for women to challenge unfair pay, and invested in programs that help women enter high-paying careers," Obama said.

"We fought to improve student grants and loans to ensure a college education is within the reach of every woman, and we established the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault because no matter where women pursue a brighter future, they have the right to do so without fear," he said.

From classrooms to boardrooms, in cities and towns across America, and in the ranks of the Armed Forces, women are succeeding like never before, he said.
"But despite these gains, the dreams of too many mothers and daughters continue to be deferred and denied. There is still more work to do and more doors of opportunity to open," Obama said.
"When women are given the opportunity to succeed, they do. Younger women graduate college at higher rates than men and are more likely to hold a graduate school degree. They are nearly half our workforce, and increasingly they are the primary breadwinner for families," Obama said.

The US President said the constitutional amendment was a product of decades spent organising, protesting, and agitating on this important issue.
"It was a turning point on the long march toward equality for all, and it inspired generations of courageous women who took up this unfinished struggle in their own time," he said.
"On the anniversary of this civil rights milestone, we honour the character and perseverance of America's women and all those who work to make the same rights and opportunities possible for our daughters and sons," he said.