NOW Leadership and Priorities
NOW was founded by a group of 28 women. Betty Friedan (seated far right) served as NOW’s first president and Aileen Hernandez was NOW’s first vice president. To properly address the issues and challenges facing all working women, many believed NOW’s leadership needed to represent and include women from diverse backgrounds. Consider the photograph below and answer the questions that follow.
What do you notice about the women in this photograph? Consider their clothing, class/appearance, racial diversity, and age. What predictions can you make regarding this group’s ability to address the needs of all women based upon the demographic makeup presented in the photograph?
In 1966, Friedan and Rev. Pauli Murray, the first female African American Episcopal priest, co-authored NOW’s original Statement of Purpose which began:
The purpose of NOW is to take action to bring women into full participation in the mainstream of American society now, exercising all privileges and responsibilities thereof in truly equal partnership with men.
In 1967, NOW adopted a Women’s Bill of Rights that identified the organization’s priorities:
I. Equal Rights Constitutional Amendment
II. Enforce Law Banning Sex Discrimination in Employment
III. Maternity Leave Rights in Employment and in Social Security Benefits
IV. Tax Deduction for Home and Child Care Expenses for Working Parents
V. Child Day Care Centers
VI. Equal and Unsegregated Education
VII. Equal Job Training Opportunities and Allowances for Women in Poverty
VIII. The Right of Women to Control their Reproductive Lives
Choose two of NOW’s priorities from the Women’s Bill of Rights above. Explain how each supports NOW’s Statement of Purpose and the goal of bringing about true equality between women and men.
