Mission

The National Organization for Women aims to take action to bring true equality for all women in America, and toward a fully equal partnership of the sexes.

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U.S. Court of Appeals rules in Weeks v. Southern Bell

A major NOW victory! The U.S. Court of Appeals (fifth circuit) has ruled that the weight-lifting rule for women violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Lorena Weeks had been barred from a promotion to switchman due to the rules which prohibit women from lifting more than 30 pounds. NOW attorney, Sylvia Roberts used […]

The Plaza Protest

NOW Chapters all over the country have been demanding equality in all public facilities! Betty Friedan and three other women staged a sit-in at the Oak Room Restaurant at The Plaza Hotel in New York City today. The Plaza strictly enforces a “Men’s Only” lunch from 12-3 p.m. every day. Upon sitting down, the women’s […]

NOW welcomes Dolores Alexander!

NOW welcomes Dolores Alexander as its first National Executive Director. Dolores Alexander was a prize-winning reporter for Newsday, a Long Island daily newspaper. We are happy to have her on the NOW team!

U.S. Court of Appeals denies the American Newspaper Publisher Association

The U.S. court of Appeals has ruled in favor of the EEOC guidelines which prohibit sex-segregated “help wanted” ads. This explicitly denies the appeal of the American Newspaper Publisher Association (ANPA). Another victory for the equality of women!

Stand with NOW!

New Yorkers for Abortion Law Repeal Formation

New York NOW’s Abortion Committee formed New Yorkers for Abortion Law Repeal (NYALR), an independent statewide organization that has been characterized as the first abortion law repeal group whose philosophy was based entirely on a radical feminist analysis of the issue. NYALR campaigned against any restrictions on a women’s access to abortion or any form […]

National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws Establishment

(01/14-16/69)

The first national conference on abortion laws convened in Chicago and decided to establish the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws (NARAL). Lawrence Lader was the first chair. NOW’s representatives included: Betty Friedan; Lucinda Cisler, East Coast Chair of NOW’s National Abortion Committee; and Lana Phelan, West Coast Chair. Friedan spoke on […]

NOW Protests NASA

Join NOW in protesting the exclusion of women as astronauts from the space programs. NASA maintains that it has yet to find women qualified as either pilots or scientists.

NOW knows that women come in all shapes and sizes; help stop this exclusion!

Third National Conference

(12/06-08/68)

At our Third National Conference, NOW committed to launch a campaign to outlaw public accommodations discrimination based on sex, initiate a nationwide boycott against United Airlines because of its “men only” executive flights, and work for the amendment of the Social Security Act to provide insurance coverage for the wife as an individual […]

Four NYC newspapers integrate their “Help Wanted” ads!

Four newspapers in New York City integrated their “Help Wanted” ads! Congratulations to The New York Times, The New York Post, The New York Daily News and The Village Voice!

This marks another NOW victory for women’s equality!

Congratulations, Shirley Chisholm!

(11/04/68)

NOW member Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to the House of Representatives.

After the 1968 elections, 10 women were serving in the House and one in the Senate; the 1968 Census indicated that women were 53.3% of the population of the United States. Stand with NOW to work towards equal representation […]