National Organization for Women received a lot of support in the 1960s especially from women all around the United States. Women around the country began to form chapters of N.O.W.
The National Organization for Women received criticism in the 1960s from labor unions, women union leaders and Phyllis Stewart Schlafly
Explanation: The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization founded in 1966.
The purpose of NOW as "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."
The National Organization for Women (NOW) was founded in 1966 by 28 women at the Third National Conference of Commissions on the Status of Women in June.
The 28 women who became founders in June were: Ada Allness, Mary Evelyn Benbow, Gene Boyer, Shirley Chisholm, Analoyce Clapp, Kathryn F. Clarenbach, Catherine Conroy, Caroline Davis, Mary Eastwood, Edith Finlayson, Betty Friedan, Dorothy Haener, Anna Roosevelt Halstead, Lorene Harrington, Aileen Hernandez, Mary Lou Hill, Esther Johnson, Nancy Knaak, Min Matheson, Helen Moreland, Pauli Murray, Ruth Murray, Inka O'Hanrahan, Pauline A. Parish, Eve Purvis, Edna Schwartz, Mary-Jane Ryan Snyder, Gretchen Squires, Betty Talkington and Caroline Ware.
Another 21 women and men became founders at the October 1966 NOW Organizing Conference, for a total of 49 founders.
The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C.
The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan helps to usher in the feminist Organization.
In 1967, members of N.O.W. proposed the Equal Rights Amendment, which would guarantee equal rights for women. Although Congress approved the ERA, the amendment failed to be ratified by enough states to be adopted. Inspired by calls for equality, women around the country began to form chapters of N.O.W. Throughout the remainder of the 1960s, members of the organization demonstrated to draw attention to businesses that didn't treat men and women the same way.
Other accomplishments during the early years included the Freedom for Women Week that began on Mother's Day,1969, and called for better treatment and equal opportunities for women. That same year, several colleges and universities began offering courses in women's studies.
The relationship between National Organization for Women and the labor movement during NOW's first decade of existence was characterized by distrust. NOW's championing of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) put it at odds with most of labor's leadership as well. NOW was criticize by labor unions who opposed it on the grounds that it would negate protective laws and threaten the economic status of working women. Women union Also leaders differed with NOW's position on key issues. They were ambivalent about Title VII's strong enforcement and sought to retain at least some protective measures for women.
They were also criticize by Phyllis Stewart Schlafly who became an outspoken opponent of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) She was the organizer of the "STOP ERA" campaign. STOP was an acronym for "Stop Taking Our Privileges". She argued that the ERA would take away gender-specific privileges currently enjoyed by women, including "dependent wife" benefits under Social Security, separate restrooms for males and females, and exemption from Selective Service.
NOW has been criticized for not supporting pro-life feminists, as well as other liberal issues, and supporting the Iraq War.
Some members, such as LA NOW chapter president Tammy Bruce left NOW, saying they oppose putting liberal and partisan policy positions above equality for all women. Tammy Bruce has attacked NOW for not doing enough to advocate for international women's rights, but instead attacking the George W. Bush White House for their conservative positions.
