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.

Stay Updated

Colgate-Palmolive Case - Victory!

NOW has won a victory in the Colgate-Palmolive case when the Appeals Court ruled that any weight-lifting test must be applied to all employees, male and female, and forbade separate male/female seniority lists. The Court also ruled any union contracts restricting jobs women could bid on were illegal and awarded back pay to the women.

[…]

People v. Belous

(09/05/69)

NOW celebrated a victory in the People v. Belous case when the state supreme court found California’s 100 year-old abortion law unconstitutional. Dr. Leon Belous, a member of NOW, had insisted on defending himself on constitutional grounds against the charge of making illegal abortion referrals.

Stand with NOW against abortion laws!

Executive Order 11375

(08/04-06)

After considerable pressure from NOW and other women’s rights groups, public hearings were held on the Department of Labor’s proposed sex discrimination guidelines to be issued to implement Executive Order 11375.

Join NOW in ensuring the proper and complete implementation of all equal employment opportunity legislation!

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 […]

Executive Order 11375 - Update

On October 13, 1967, Presidential Executive Order 11375 amended Executive Order 11246 to prohibit sex discrimination in employment by the federal government and by contractors doing business with the government. A NOW victory!!

Join NOW in this continued fight for equal employment opportunity for women!

Formation of the Legal Defense and Education Fund

On September 17, 1967, the NOW Board of Directors, meeting in Madison, WI, voted unanimously to approve the formation of the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund (NOW LDEF). Although the Legal Defense and Education fund has been founded by NOW leaders and will continue to collaborate with NOW on many feminist issues, the LDEF […]