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ATTENTION INVITED TO  

ROUTINE

R 181807Z AUG 11 PSN 321076K19

FM CNO WASHINGTON DC

TO NAVADMIN
ZEN//OU=DOD/OU=NAVY/OU=ADDRESS LISTS(UC)/CN=AL NAVADMIN(UC)

INFO ZEN/CNO WASHINGTON DC

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SUBJ: OBSERVANCE OF WOMEN'S EQUALITY DAY 2011 UNCLASSIFIED// 

FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//N00// TO NAVADMIN 

NAVADMIN 246/11

MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N00/AUG//

SUBJ/OBSERVANCE OF WOMEN'S EQUALITY DAY 2011//

RMKS/1.  WOMEN'S EQUALITY DAY WILL BE OBSERVED ON 26 AUGUST 2011.
THIS DAY COMMEMORATES THE 1920 PASSAGE OF THE 19TH AMENDMENT TO THE 
CONSTITUTION, GRANTING WOMEN THE RIGHT TO VOTE.

2.  THE WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT BEGAN IN 1848 AT THE SENECA FALLS CONVENTION 
IN SENECA FALLS, NEW YORK, CONVENED BY SUFFRAGIST LEADERS ELIZABETH CADY 
STANTON AND LUCRETIA MOTT.  THE RESULTING

DECLARATION OF SENTIMENTS, WHICH OUTLINED KEY SOCIAL, CIVIL, AND POLITICAL 
DEMANDS FOR WOMEN, HELPED THE CAUSE OF WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE GAIN NATIONAL 
PROMINENCE.  NEARLY 72 YEARS OF CEASELESS CAMPAIGNING BY A COALITION OF 
SUFFRAGISTS, TEMPERANCE GROUPS, REFORM-MINDED POLITICIANS, AND WOMEN'S SOCIAL 
WELFARE ORGANIZATIONS LED TO THE PASSING OF THE 19TH AMENDMENT TO THE 
CONSTITUTION ON 26 AUGUST 1920, PROHIBITING STATE AND FEDERAL AGENCIES FROM 
PLACING GENDER-BASED RESTRICTIONS ON VOTING.  TO HONOR AND COMMEMORATE THIS 
HISTORIC EVENT, IN 1971 NEW YORK CONGRESSWOMAN BELLA ABZUG INTRODUCED, AND 
CONGRESS SIGNED, A RESOLUTION TO DESIGNATE AUGUST 26TH AS WOMEN'S EQUALITY DAY 
RECOGNIZING THE ANNIVERSARY OF SUFFRAGE AND OF WOMEN'S CONTINUED EFFORTS 
TOWARD EQUAL RIGHTS.

3.  TALENTED FEMALE OFFICERS, SAILORS, AND CIVILIANS ARE A KEY COMPONENT OF 
OUR TOTAL FORCE, AND THEY ARE AN INVALUABLE ASSET TO THE STRENGTH OF OUR NAVY.  
WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE WOMEN'S ARMED SERVICES INTEGRATION ACT OF 12 JUNE 
1948, WOMEN GAINED PERMANENT STATUS IN THE ARMED SERVICES.  WOMEN WERE FIRST 
ASSIGNED TO SELECTED NON-COMBATANT SHIPS IN 1978, AND OPPORTUNITIES WERE LATER 
BROADENED TO INCLUDE SERVICE IN COMBATANTS IN 1994 FOLLOWING THE REPEAL OF THE 
COMBAT EXCLUSION LAW.  MOST RECENTLY, IN APRIL 2010, THE NAVY ANNOUNCED A 
POLICY CHANGE THAT ALLOWS WOMEN TO SERVE ON SUBMARINES.

THERE ARE NEARLY 63,000 WOMEN, ACTIVE AND RESERVE, SERVING IN OUR NAVY TODAY, 
COMPRISING 16.3 PERCENT OF THE FORCE.  ADDITIONALLY, NEARLY 50,000 WOMEN SERVE 
ACROSS OUR NAVY IN A WIDE RANGE OF SPECIALTIES AS CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES.

4.  ALL COMMANDS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO INCREASE THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND 
AWARENESS OF WOMEN'S EQUALITY DAY THROUGH PROGRAMS, EXHIBITS, PUBLICATIONS, 
AND PARTICIPATION IN MILITARY AND COMMUNITY EVENTS.  A PRESENTATION IS 
AVAILABLE ON THE DEFENSE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE WEB SITE AT 
HTTP://WWW.DEOMI.ORG/SPECIALOBSERVANCE/PRESENTATIONS.CFM?CATID=5.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE ROLES OF WOMEN IN THE NAVY CAN BE FOUND ON THE OFFICE 
OF WOMEN'S POLICY WEBPAGE AT HTTP://WWW.PUBLIC.NAVY.MIL/BUPERS-
NPC/ORGANIZATION/BUPERS/WOMENSPOLICY AND FROM THE NAVAL HISTORY AND HERITAGE 
COMMAND AT HTTP://WWW.HISTORY.NAVY.MIL/ SPECIAL%20HIGHLIGHTS/WOMEN/WOMEN-
INDEX.HTM.

5.  MORE INFORMATION ON DIVERSITY CONFERENCES, EVENTS AND OBSERVANCES IS 
AVAILABLE AT THE NAVY DIVERSITY WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.PUBLIC.NAVY.MIL/BUPERS-
NPC/SUPPORT/DIVERSITY.

6.  POINT OF CONTACT IS LT LAURA STEGHERR, OPNAV N134, AT
(703) 695-0820/DSN 225 OR VIA E-MAIL AT laura.stegherr@navy.mil.

7.  RELEASED BY ADMIRAL G. ROUGHEAD, CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS.//

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