ARTICLE I Women shall be entitled to vote in all elections on equal terms with men, without any discrimination. ARTICLE II Women shall be eligible for election to all publicly elected bodies, established by national law, on equal terms with men, without any discrimination. ARTICLE III Women shall be entitled to hold public office and to exercise all public functions, established by national law, on equal terms with men, without any discrimination. ARTICLE IV 1. This Convention shall be open for signature on behalf of any Member of the United Nations and also on behalf of any other State to which an invitation has been addressed by the General Assembly. 2. This Convention shall be ratified and the instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations. ARTICLE V 1. This Convention shall be open for accession to all States referred to in paragraph 1 of article IV. 2. Accession shall be effected by the deposit of an instrument of accession with the Secretary-General of the United Nations. ARTICLE VI 1. This Convention shall come into force on the ninetieth day following the date of deposit of the sixth instrument of ratification or accession. 2. For each State ratifying or acceding to the Convention after the deposit of the sixth instrument of ratification or accession the Convention shall enter into force on the ninetieth day after deposit by such State of its instrument of ratification or accession. ARTICLE VII In the event that any State submits a reservation to any the articles of this Convention at the time of signature, ratification or accession, the SecretaryGeneral shall communicate the text of the reservation to all States which are or may become parties to this Convention. Any State which objects to the reservation may, within a period of ninety days from the date of the said communication (or upon the date of its becoming a party to the Convention), notify the Secretary-General that it does not accept it. In such case, the Convention shall not enter into force as between such State and the State making the reservation. ARTICLE VIII 1. Any State may denounce this Convention by written notification to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Denunication shall take effect one year after the date of receipt of the notification by the Secretary-General. 2. This Convention shall cease to be in force as from the date when the denunciation which reduces the number of parties to less than six becomes effective. ARTICLE IX Any dispute which may arise between any two or more Contracting States concerning the interpretation or application of this Convention which is not settled by negotiation, shall at the request of any one of the parties to the dispute be referred to the International Court of Justice for decision, unless they agree to another mode of settlement. ARTICLE X The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall notify all Members of the United Nations and the non-member States contemplated in paragraph 1 of article IV of this Convention of the following: (a) Signatures and instruments of ratification received in accordance with article IV; (b) Instruments of accession received in accordance with article V ; (c) The date upon which this Convention enters into force in accordance with article VI; (d) Communications and notifications received in accordance with article VII; (e) Notifications of denunciation received in accordance with paragraph 1 of article VIII; (f) Abrogation in accordance with paragraph 2 article VIII. ARTICLE XI 1. This Convention, of which the Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish texts shall be equally authentic, shall be deposited in the archives of the United Nations. 2. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall transmit a certified copy to all Members of the United Nations and to the non-member States contemplated in paragraph 1 of article IV. IN FAITH WHEREOF the undersigned, being duly authorized thereto by their respective Governments, have signed the present Convention, opened for signature at New York, on the thirty-first day of March, one thousand nine hundred and fifty-three. The White House, Washington, D.C. DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: As President of the United States, committed to the principle of equal rights for all, your leadership can be crucial to the more than half our citizens who are women and who are now denied their full constitutional and legal rights. The quality of life to which we aspire and the questioning at home and abroad of our commitment to the democratic ideal make it imperative that our nation utilize to the fullest the potential of all citizens. Yet the research and deliberations of this Task Force reveal that the United States, as it approaches its 200th anniversary, lags behind other enlightened, and indeed some newly emerging, countries in the role ascribed to women. Social attitudes are slow to change. So widespread and pervasive are discriminatory practices against women they have come to be regarded, more often than not, as normal. Unless there is clear indication of Administration concern at the highest level, it is unlikely that significant progress can be made in correcting ancient, entrenched injustices. American women are increasingly aware and restive over the denial of equal opportunity, equal responsibility, even equal protection of the law. An abiding concern for home and children should not, in their view, cut them off from the freedom to choose the role in society to which their interest, education, and training entitle them. Women do not seek special privileges. They do seek equal rights. They do wish to assume their full responsibilities. Equality for women is unalterably linked to many broader questions of social justice. Inequities within our society serve to restrict the contribution of both sexes. We have witnessed a decade of rebellion during which black Americans fought for true equality. The battle still rages Nothing could demonstrate more dramatically the explosive potential of denying fulfillment as human beings to any segment of our society. What this Task Force recommends is a national commitment to basic changes that will bring women into the mainstream of American life. Such a commitment, we believe, is necessary to healthy psychological, social, and economic growth of our society. IV The leader who makes possible a fairer and fuller contribution by women to the nation's destiny will reap dividends of productivity measurable in billions of dollars. He will command respect and loyalty beyond measure from those freed from second-class citizenship. He will reaffirm, at a time of renewed worldwide emphasis on human rights, America's fitness for leadership in the community of nations. His task will not be easy, for he must inspire and persuade government and the private sector to abandon outmoded attitudes based on false premises. Without such leadership there is danger of accelerating militancy or the kind of deadening apathy that stills progress and inhibits creativity. Therefore, this Task Force recommends that the President: 1. Establish an Office of Women's Rights and Responsibilities, whose director would serve as a special assistant reporting directly to the President. 2. Call a White House conference on women's rights and responsibilities in 1970, the fiftieth anniversary of the ratification of the suffrage amendment and establishment of the Women's Bureau. 3. Send a message to the Congress citing the widespread discriminations against women, proposing legislation to remedy these inequities, asserting Federal leadership, recommending prompt State action as a corollary, and calling upon the private sector to follow suit. The message should recommend the following legislation necessary to ensure full legal equality for women: a. Passage of a joint resolution proposing the equal rights amend- b. Amendment of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to d. Amendment of Title II of the Civil Rights Act of |