Following his own precedent and that of his predecessors, President Barack Obama proclaimed March 2013 as Women’s History Month in the United States in this presidential proclamation March 2013 as .

Perhaps because of the contributions of women, an increasing number of women around the world are enrolling at colleges and universities in other countries and in the United States. According to data from the 2012 Open Doors Report, 44 percent of all international students in the United States last year were women. In 1980, this number was only about 25 percent, showing the growth in the number of women that take advantage of U.S. educational opportunities. One example of an opportunity is the NeXXt Scholars Initiative, a Department of State program that focuses on women in science, technology, engineering and math fields.

Visit this Library of Congress website for more information on Women’s History month.