On June 14, 2016 the first-ever United State of Women Summit took place in Washington, D.C. This day-long event hosted by the White House was held to celebrate the progress and discuss the work that lay ahead for women.
The Summit focused on six topics: economic empowerment, health and wellness, educational opportunity, violence against women, entrepreneurship and innovation, and leadership and civic engagement.
Who?
More than 5,000 women from across the country gathered at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center for the event to hear speeches from US President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett and the First Lady Michelle Obama. The guest list included women from Oprah Winfrey and Sophia Bush to 11-year-old Internet sensation Mikaila Ulmer who started her own lemonade company.
Why?
Girls and women around the world face oppression.
- One in five women will be a victim of rape or attempted rape in her lifetime.
- Worldwide, 51 million girls are married before the age of consent.
- Two-thirds of the world’s illiterate adults are women.
- One in three women across the world are experiencing violence.
- In the US, women only make 78 cents for every dollar men make.
The Summit was created to rally women together to take action against gender inequality issues to make a difference in our collective culture.
What now?
At the Summit, the Obama administration, private-sector companies, foundations and organizations are committing $50 million, along with new policies, tools and partnerships to expand opportunities for girls and women in the US and abroad.
Several companies — including Airbnb, Amazon, American Airlines, Expedia, Pinterest and Pepsico — have agreed to complete a yearly company-wide gender pay analysis in an effort to eliminate the gender pay gap.
The women of @NASA are global citizens too! #NASA#StateofWomen#shOwuppic.twitter.com/Ee9prfU0Yc
— Global Citizen (@GlblCtzn) June 14, 2016
The Department of Labor will also publish a final rule updating its sex discrimination guidelines for federal contractors for the first time since the 1970s.
Additionally, Harvard Law School’s Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program will develop a toolkit for community college students across the US that will help women become better prepared to negotiate for higher salaries.
The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) Alliance for Family Entertainment (AFE) will launch a new campaign called “#SeeHer” to encourage media and advertisers to develop content that portrays diverse groups of women in authentic ways. This initiative will discourage advertisements, like the latest London beach body ready ad, that promote body shaming.
Education organizations, including CARE, Oracle, The International Rescue Committee, The Hershey Company, PayPal, American Airlines, Just Like My Child Foundation and AOL, have committed more than $20 million to the Let Girls Learn Initiative to support the 62 million girls around the world without access to an education.
The Department of Justice is committing millions of dollars in an effort to combat violence against women, girls and elders.
These actions will evoke some serious change in a positive way for women around the world. “We are the United State of Women,” Michelle Obama said in a video for the event. “We stand stronger when we stand together.”