SR129 - Relative to Women’s Equality Day.

Enrolled August 14, 2026 Passed IN Senate August 13, 2026 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION Senate Resolution No. 129 Introduced by Senator Durazo (Coauthors: Senators Ashby, Blakespear, Caballero, Cervantes, Gonzalez, Grove, Limón, Menjivar, Ochoa Bogh, Reyes, Richardson, Rubio, Smallwood-Cuevas, Wahab, and Weber Pierson) August 03, 2026 Relative to Women’s Equality Day. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SR 129, Durazo. Digest Key Bill Text WHEREAS, The first women’s rights convention on July 19, 1848, was called by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott to win equal rights for women and expand the role of women in society, and it was then that the fight for women’s rights came together as an organized effort; and WHEREAS, In 1851, abolitionist and women’s rights activist Sojourner Truth delivered her most renowned extemporaneous speech at the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, first transcribed and titled as “On Woman’s Rights” before it was later altered using an inaccurate dialect and retitled “Ain’t I a Woman?”; and WHEREAS, The addition of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution on August 26, 1920, secured for women the right to vote, with full enfranchisement of African American, Asian American, Hispanic American, and Native American women to take nearly an additional 50 years to be realized; and WHEREAS, The passage of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 barred employment discrimination against women; and WHEREAS, The enactment of Title IX of the federal Education Amendments of 1972 guaranteed equal opportunity for women in all aspects of education; and WHEREAS, Many women have planned, organized, lectured, written, marched, lobbied, canvassed voters, staged parades, become candidates for political office, argued court cases, and more, in order to irrevocably change for the better the world of today’s women and girls; and WHEREAS, The Legislature has a record number of women serving in the Legislature, and the California State Senate reached gender parity for the first time in 2024; and WHEREAS, The United States Supreme Court has the greatest number of women serving on the Court than ever before, including the first Black and Latina female justices; and WHEREAS, Despite the many efforts of policymakers and advocates toward ensuring equality for women, gender inequality and inequities persist in many areas, as evidenced by the ongoing struggle for fair pay and equal job opportunities, job training opportunities, access to childcare and reproductive health care, family friendly workplaces, and efforts against poverty, especially among women and children; and WHEREAS, Despite important steps to achieve equal access in the workplace and equal access to educational opportunities, women face barriers in education and employment that are not experienced at the same magnitude by men, including the presence of historical male privilege and gender bias; sex discrimination, harassment, and sexual violence in the workplace and on campus; the complications of having caregiving duties in the unpaid economy; and being undervalued for their work in the paid economy; and WHEREAS, Women are critical to a strong and vibrant California economy and play a pivotal role in spurring economic growth in California; and WHEREAS, Women comprise almost one-half of the workforce in the state and are primary income earners in many households; and WHEREAS, Immigrant women are a vital part of the California workforce, particularly in the domestic work and caregiving industry, but remain systemically underpaid and vulnerable to economic exploitation; and WHEREAS, The lack of affordable, quality health care and affordable housing makes it difficult for women to provide safe and secure environments for their families; and WHEREAS, Women’s earnings are still far too low compared to men’s in California, and women are disproportionately employed in jobs that pay the minimum wage; and WHEREAS, Women are also disproportionately disadvantaged by the stresses of poverty and the constraints of the social services system; and WHEREAS, Ensuring the economic security of all California women and their families will benefit people in all communities; and WHEREAS, The women of the United States have designated August 26 as a symbol of the continued fight for equal rights; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That upon the anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the Senate recognizes August 26, 2026, as Women’s Equality Day and its historic importance to women’s rights, including the battle to attain those rights in the past, present, and future ; and be it further Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.