National Organization for Women

National Organization for Women
Name	National Organization for Women
Abbreviation	NOW
Formation	1966
Founder	Betty Friedan, Pauli Murray (influential), other activists
Type	Advocacy organization
Purpose	Feminist advocacy, legal equality, reproductive rights, economic justice
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Region served	United States
Leader title	President

National Organization for Women

The National Organization for Women (NOW) is a United States feminist advocacy organization founded in 1966 to advocate for equal rights for women through legal, political, and public campaigns. As a principal institutional actor emerging from the postwar second-wave feminist movement, NOW played a central role in pressing for enforcement of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, reproductive rights, and broader social reforms tied to racial and economic justice within the context of the US Civil Rights Movement.

Founding and Early Goals

NOW was formed by activists within the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and allied feminists who sought a civil-rights-style organization to monitor and enforce anti-discrimination laws. Key founders included Betty Friedan and other leaders from groups such as the National Council of Jewish Women and the American Association of University Women. Early goals emphasized full enforcement of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit sex-based employment discrimination, expansion of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission powers, affordable childcare, and access to contraception and abortion services. NOW adopted tactics inspired by contemporary civil rights organizations including protests, litigation support, lobbying, and consciousness-raising to shift public policy and social norms.

Role in the Broader Civil Rights Movement

NOW positioned itself both alongside and in dialogue with civil rights organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). While its model mirrored civil rights-era legal strategies exemplified by the Brown v. Board of Education campaign and litigation pursued by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, NOW also encountered tensions about priorities and representation. The organization frequently collaborated with labor unions like the AFL–CIO and progressive policy networks to link gender equality to economic justice, while critics from within the Black freedom struggle highlighted the need for intersectional approaches that attended to race and class as firmly as to gender.

Major Campaigns and Policy Achievements

NOW led or contributed to many high-profile campaigns: advocating for passage and ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA); mobilizing to protect access to abortion after Roe v. Wade; pressing for enforcement of Title IX in education; campaigning for paid parental leave and affordable childcare; and influencing judicial nominations. NOW chapters organized demonstrations such as the 1970s marches and protests against workplace discrimination and for reproductive freedom, and supported litigation by plaintiffs challenging discriminatory hiring practices. The organization also shaped public discourse through publications, legal briefs, and lobbying in the United States Congress to advance bills on pay equity and workplace rights.

Intersectionality, Race, and Class within NOW

From its inception NOW faced internal and external challenges around race and class. Feminists of color—including activists associated with the Combahee River Collective, Angela Davis, and Audre Lorde—pressed NOW to center anti-racist practices and to address violence against women in Black and Indigenous communities. NOW gradually incorporated policy positions targeted at poverty, welfare reform, and workplace discrimination affecting women of color, but debates persisted over representation in leadership and resource allocation. The organization’s history reflects broader tensions in the second-wave movement about making feminist agendas inclusive of the needs of working-class women, immigrant communities, and LGBTQ+ people.

Controversies and Internal Debates

NOW’s strategies and rhetoric provoked controversies: disagreements over priorities such as whether to prioritize the ERA or reproductive rights; conflicts about alliances with labor and religious groups; and disputes over tactics including litigation versus grassroots organizing. The organization also faced criticism for insufficient racial diversity in leadership and for early ambivalence about LGBTQ+ inclusion, leading to schisms and the creation of autonomous groups that foregrounded race, class, and sexuality. Internal governance battles occasionally led to high-profile resignations and public debates over organizational accountability and democratic decision-making.

Organizational Structure and Membership Activism

NOW is organized with national officers, state chapters, and local chapters that coordinate campaigns and grassroots activism. Membership drives, chapter actions, letter-writing campaigns, litigation support, and electoral endorsements remain core functions. The group has maintained legal and policy staffs to prepare amicus briefs and lobby lawmakers, and it works closely with allied NGOs such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and labor organizations to advance legislative priorities. Training programs, consciousness-raising groups, and public demonstrations continue to cultivate activism among students, professionals, and community organizers.

Legacy and Impact on Contemporary Social Movements

NOW’s legacy is visible across contemporary movements for gender justice, reproductive rights, and workplace equity. Its campaigns influenced ongoing debates about pay equity, family leave, and anti-discrimination law enforcement, and shaped institutions such as university compliance with Title IX. The organization’s mixed record on intersectionality has informed later movements—such as contemporary iterations of Black Lives Matter, modern feminist coalitions, and LGBTQ+ rights advocacy—to prioritize inclusivity and cross-movement solidarity. As a durable advocacy organization, NOW remains a touchstone for debates about strategy, coalition-building, and the relationship between feminist ideals and broader struggles for social and economic justice in the United States.

Category:Feminist organizations in the United States Category:Women's rights in the United States Category:Organizations established in 1966