( CNN Student News ) -- March is Women 's History Month , a federally recognized , nationwide celebration that encourages all Americans to reflect on the ways in which women have shaped U.S. history . But how did this celebration come to be , and why is it held in March ? `` I long to hear that you have declared an independency , and by the way , in the new code of laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make , I desire you would remember the ladies ... '' Abigail Adams , March 31 , 1776 . Almost two hundred years after Abigail Adams made this request to her husband , John , the passage of Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendments meant no person could be denied the benefits of a federally funded educational program or activity on the basis of gender . In 1977 , to help school principals comply with Title IX regulations , an education task force in Sonoma County , California recommended a `` Women 's History Week '' celebration for 1978 . The task force believed that school and community events highlighting and celebrating the contributions of American women would help provide a foundation and rationale for Title IX changes . The commission chose the week of March 8 to coincide with International Women 's Day , which had been established in the early 1900s to honor the movement for women 's rights . Within a few years , dozens of California schools were participating in Women 's History Week . In 1979 , representatives from the Sonoma County Women 's History Week group shared their experiences with national leaders of women 's organizations at a Women 's History Institute at Sarah Lawrence College , and word of the Women 's History Week celebrations spread . In March 1980 , President Jimmy Carter issued a message encouraging Americans to recognize and celebrate women 's historic accomplishments during the week of March 8th , Women 's History Week . Later that year , Utah Senator Orrin Hatch and Maryland Representative Barbara Mikulski co-sponsored the first Joint Congressional Resolution declaring a `` National Women 's History Week '' for the week of March 8 , 1981 . In 1987 , Congress expanded the week to a month . Since 1992 , every U.S. president has issued a proclamation declaring March to be Women 's History Month . Facts and Figures on U.S. Women . Population : As of Oct. 1 , 2008 , there were 155 million females in the United States . That number exceeds the number of males by approximately four million . Earnings : The median annual earnings of women 16 or older who worked year-round , full time in 2007 was $ 34,278 . Women earned 77.5 cents for every $ 1 earned by men . Education : Thirty-three percent of women 25 to 29 attained a bachelor 's degree or higher in 2007 , which exceeded that of men in this age range ( 26 percent ) . Businesses : There were nearly 6.5 million women-owned businesses in 2002 . Women owned 28 percent of all non-farm businesses . Voting : Sixty-five percent of female citizens reported voting in the 2004 presidential election , higher than the 62 percent of their male counterparts who cast a ballot . Jobs : Thirty-eight percent of women 16 or older work in management , professional and related occupations , compared with 32 percent of men . Military : There were 198,400 active duty women in the military , comprising 14 percent of the armed forces , as of September 30 , 2007 . In 1950 , women comprised less than 2 percent . Sports and Recreation : Three million girls participated in high school athletic programs in the 2006-07 school year . In the 1979-80 school year , only 1.75 million girls were members of a high school athletic team . Source : Facts and Figures on Women ( U.S. Census )
This is Children 's History Month . Learn how this celebration come to be , and why it is celebrated in May .