Rather ironic a female U.S. senator is complaining about a lack of “women’s equality.”

(CNS News) – The fight for women’s equality is continuing in every country — including the United States, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) told ten “International Women of Courage” recipients at the State Department on Wednesday.

“And I personally, I’ve never faced violence, extreme violence, like a number of you have endured. But I do know a little bit about what it’s like to be told you don’t belong somewhere, or you can’t do something because you’re a woman,” Boxer said.

Boxer told the women that while they work for equality in their own countries — at great personal risk — “we’re still battling it, as you may or may not know if you follow the news.”

Boxer did not identify any particular  news event, but recently she has been a vocal advocate for the Obama administration’s contraception mandate, which would force religiously-affiliated institutions to provide birth control and other services that violate their beliefs and teachings.