Women's Issues
"We Can Do It!" is a 1942 wartime poster produced for Westinghouse Electric to boost worker morale. During WW II women join the labor force in unprecedented numbers as men deployed to the front.
All around the world, women are blazing new trails and triumphing over long-entrenched obstacles, resulting in major advancements to the development agenda and global progress.
Integrating women into their communities, their governments, and their economies is the best way to address many of today’s global challenges. From reducing poverty and expanding social inclusion to improving global health and access to education, women are a smart and reliable investment.
The United States supports these efforts in a variety of ways, including programs with local community-based organizations working to stimulate the political, economic, legal and social empowerment of women and girls. Learn more!
Latest News
Why women are central to US foreign policy
By John Kerry , March 8, 2013
State Department Fact Sheet: Advancing the Status of Women and Girls Around the World March 8, 2013
Amb. Rice's Remarks to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women
March 6, 2013
Creating What You Can Imagine, Changing the World
March 1, 2013 - White House Office of Science and Techology Policy.
Women's Access to Justice
Remarks Paula Schriefer, Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Organization Affairs
February 28, 2013 - Focusing on protection, the United States intends to support the development of effective accountability and transitional justice mechanisms that address crimes committed against women and girls.
Presidential Memorandum -- Coordination of Policies and Programs to Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women and Girls Globally - January 30, 2013
Defense Department Expands Women’s Combat Role
Jan. 24, 2013 – Following a unanimous recommendation by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta today announced the end of the direct ground combat exclusion rule for female service members.
Events in the Netherlands
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Exhibition ‘1001 Women in Dutch history’
February 15 - May 20, 2013 - Amsterdam: Universiteit van Amsterdam. The stories of famous, notorious and forgotten women will come to life again. Now at the Special Collections!
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Eve Arnold - Photographs 1950-1985
March 5 - June 9, 2013 - Helmond: Gemeentemuseum. Photo exhibition of American Eve Arnold (1912-2012), the first female photographer who became a member of photo agency Magnum.
Department of State
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Office of Women's Issues
The Secretary's Office of Global Women's Issues (S/GWI) seeks to ensure that women’s issues are fully integrated in the formulation and conduct of U.S. foreign policy. The Office of Global Women’s Issues works to promote stability, peace, and development by empowering women politically, socially, and economically around the world.”
Free Downloadable Book (PDF,161 kb)
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Women of Influence
This collection chronicles how 21 notable American women broke new ground, some by championing equal rights for all and others by their accomplishments in fields such as government, literature, and even in war.
Photo Galleries
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Great women of the 20th Century
A virtual exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery. -
Conference: "Empowering Women in Afghanistan"
Organized by the United States Embassy and the Atlantic Commission, The Hague, Societeit de Witte, September 7, 2011.
February 6 - Zero Tolerance Day
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Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting
February 6 marked the tenth observance of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, an internationally recognized day to foster awareness of the devastating effects of FGM/C and renew the call for the abandonment of this harmful traditional practice.
US, Dutch Work to End Female Genital Mutilation