For Immediate Release
March 8, 2005

World Celebrates International Women's Day
Fact of the Day

Eighty-eight years ago, Russian women fought for and earned the right to vote on March 8, 1917. The advancement of women has been on the march ever since. Iraqi women will hold more than 30 percent of the 275 seats in their newly elected Transitional National Assembly. More than 27 percent of the seats in the Lower House of Afghanistan's Parliament and almost 17 percent in the Upper House are reserved for women. In the words of First Lady Laura Bush, "No society can prosper when half of its population is not allowed to contribute to its progress. Educated and empowered women are vital to democracy - and important for the development of all countries."

Source: U.S. Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development and the International Republican Institute (www.iri.org)