The Formation of the National Organization for Women

The formation of the group called the National Organization for Women or NOW seems like a relatively simple one really. Known feminist Betty Freidan did not exactly knowingly lead the charge, but she published The Feminine Mystique, which forced women to think about the inequalities between men and women. In contrast to being a housewife and mother, she was feeling unfulfilled. She then designed a questionnaire and orchestrated it mailing to other Smith graduates to obtain information about whether other women were having the same feelings involving lack of fulfillment with their roles as wives and mothers. After finding out that most of them were not only frustrated but dissatisfied with the roles that society had imposed on them, the result of this experience was the publishing of her groundbreaking book. The book emphasized the need for women to clearly define their own roles outside the confines of traditional roles for women. With the process activated to contemplate their lives, came action by a small group of women which, in turn, led to the formation of an entire movement. This women's movement in the 1960s was the precursor for the formation of the National Organization for Women or NOW as it is called.

Betty Freidan and her book called The Feminine Mystique gave women a voice to discuss not having their own identities, only in being someone's wife or mother. One such powerful passage was, "If I am right, the problem that has no name stirring in the minds of so many American women today is not a matter of loss of femininity or too much education, or the demands of domesticity. It is far more important than anyone recognizes. It is the key to these other new and old problems which have been torturing women and their husbands and children, and puzzling their doctors and educators for years. It may well be the key to our future as a nation and a culture. We can no longer ignore that voice within women that says: "I want something more than my husband and my children and my home" (Freidan 10). Freidan does not bash motherhood or wifehood; she simply sets forth the idea that women are both capable of and want more. This became a rally-cry for thousands of women across this country. For women who were content with their defined roles, Freidan and others made no judgment. For women who wanted more from life than being a wife and mother, Freidan's book became like their Bible. Betty Freidan spoke for many women when she openly discussed the idea of being unsatisfied with only holding traditional women's roles when women confident and capable of so much more.

Betty Freidan and her book gave rise to the beginnings the National Organization for Women. This movement was different than the preceding women's rights movement. This one did not voice that women could make a unique contribution. It did not stress their maternal skills or anything else that was "different" about women. This one claimed that women were basically the same as men. Therefore, they should receive similar freedoms and opportunities as men. It was truly a movement of equality with Freidan leading the charge.

So, the story of how NOW began is an easy process. In 1966 a national conference was held in Washington D.C. dealing with the status of women in society at large. Women attended sessions although some were unsatisfied with the outcomes. By the last day of that same conference, twenty-eight women (in Freidan's hotel room) had begun to form NOW or the National Organization for Women. Betty Freidan is recognized as a co-founder and scribbled their vision on a napkin during the meeting. NOW was incorporated with the idea that it was "an NAACP for women" (Freidan 54). This was because the leaders of the civil rights movement had provided much-needed inspiration for women coming together to join in a common cause. In fact, feminist author Mary Jo Freeman argues that the women's rights movement was formed as a direct result of the civil rights movement. Friendships had been formed among women during the fight for civil rights. "Freeman maintains that the National Organization for Women (NOW), the first and at the time, the most important of new women's organizations, came about precisely because of the social networks linking women to one another. Women with similar concerns and grievances began to see one another at the same conferences, and as a result, they began to talk about their shared concerns" (Orum 505-506). They saw what could happen when like-minded people came together to join in the fight for a common good, and began with group because of that. The other founder was named Pauli Murray, and she was the first African American woman Episcopal priest. There were many others credited in being involved from the ground floor as well.

NOW immediately gained 300 members for a press conference in Washington D.C., and soon local chapters were forming all around the country at a rapid rate. The first actions of NOW were "EEOC inaction regarding sex discrimination, a stewardess's suit against airline policies mandating retirement upon marriage or at specified ages, and the practice of sex-segregated help wanted ads in newspapers. Within a year, the organization would grow into a broadly focused, multi-issue women's rights organization" (Buechler, 30). The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was passed in response to much lobbying. Freidan and others coined the term NOW on the day the group gathered. However, it took until 1971 to establish its guiding principles. They were (1) to remain in the vanguard of the women's movement; (2) to be an activist rather than an educational group; (3) to maintain political independence from governmental and political institutions; (4) to focus on a diverse set of issues and tactics; and (5) to mobilize activists at the grass roots (Barakso 2). This group began in the legislative domain and remain there today. They still pursue grassroots activism and lobbying now. As an offshoot of this organization, Freidan and Gloria Steinem, another important activist, formed the National Women's Political Caucus, which would make sure that women were elected to public office and were therefore included in the American political process.

NOW fought for equities in multiple areas. One of the areas NOW campaigned for was reproductive rights. They believed that women needed the opportunity to choose and so they began a campaign for legalized abortion in 1967. Their efforts paid off in judgments that continue today, such as Roe vs. Wade. They also "worked for the enforcement of legislation against sex discrimination and for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment or ERA (Farber 233). This amendment outlawed discrimination based on gender. They were successful in all these areas and remain successful today.

NOW was not without its problems, including the fact that in the 1970's a group of women broke away to form the Majority Caucus. These women were more radical and pressed NOW to take on more radical ideas. There were problems within the organization, but members came to consensus about those issues, and the group has continued as a strong, united force. Even though NOW was often criticized for not seeking revolution for women, for working within the social context of the times, NOW is still one of the most influential women's organizations with more than 500,000 members. It is not recognized as radical, but it is still the largest organization for women in the United States.

NOW has successfully lobbied for many things. In the 1970s NOW also championed an end to discrimination based on sexual orientation. Although it was not the first to "jump on the bandwagon," the organization did support this cause. NOW has aided the field of women's rights in countless, ways including coining the term gender gap. This term means the difference in pay for work that is comparable. For example, a janitor makes more than a secretary. A company needs both, and yet because a secretary is designated as a career for women, they make less money. NOW today deals with maintaining reproductive rights for women, including abortion and birth control and to make sure federal money is allotted by the government to daycare facilities for working mothers. It fights to end violence against women and, of course, to eliminate prejudice and discrimination against women in all aspects of life. They also continue to work for equal pay for equal work. It led to many offshoots of other organizations aimed at helping women and leveling the playing field between men and women. It is the prime organization to deal with women's issues yet today and one that will continue well into the future.

Works Cited

Barakso, MaryAnn, Governing NOW: Grassroots Activism in the National Organization

for Women, Cornell University Press, 1994.

Buechler, Stephen M., Women's Movements in the United States: Woman Suffrage,

Equal Rights, and Beyond, Rutgers University Press, 1990.

Farber, David and Bailey, Beth, The Columbia Guide to America in the 1960s, Columbia

University Press, 2003.

Freidan, Betty, The Feminine Mystique, W.W. Norton and Company, 1963.

Orum, Anthony M., Wallace, John, Johnstone, Claire, and Riger, Stephanie, Changing

Societies: Essential Sociology for Our Times, Rowman and Littlefield, 1998.