Activists, Officials Call For More Women To Register To Vote

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- To mark Women's Equality Day on Tuesday, local activists and elected officials urged people to enlist five women each to register to vote.

Tuesday marked the 94th anniversary of the certification of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.

But during a rally on the steps of City Hall, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer said women are still fighting for equality when it comes to income, jobs, health care and more, 1010 WINS' Juliet Papa reported.

Brewer said women in New York City earn 83 percent of what men do -- a number that is lower (77 percent) nationally.

"If women don't vote, believe me, policies don't change," Brewer said.

Those in attendance at the rally wore buttons that read "take the pledge," referring to the pledge to convince women to register to vote.

"My mother used to say, 'Women are taught to speak softly and carry a lipstick,'" said Liz Abzug -- whose mother, the late U.S. Rep. Bella Abzug, fought for women's rights. "But now we must carry a bigger stick."

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-Manhattan, said women must stand up for themselves.

"We have before Congress (legislation that would create) a women's museum," Maloney said. "We have museums for stamps, for sewing, for stationery, but not for half the population and their achievements."

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