Eleanor Smeal (born July 30, 1939 in Ashtabula, Ohio) is a feminist activist, political analyst, lobbyist, and grassroots organizer. Smeal is also the president and founder of the Feminist Majority Foundation and has served as president of the National Organization for Women twice. Smeal has appeared frequently on television and radio times and testified before Congress on women’s issues. As one of the major leaders of the modern day feminist movement, Smeal has organized numerous events around and given speeches on the concepts of feminism, equality, and human rights as they pertain to people in and outside of the United States. July 30 is the 211th day (212th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 154 days remaining. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full year calendar). ... Railyard in the port of Ashtabula Ashtabula is a city located in Ashtabula County, Ohio, and the center of the Ashtabula Micropolitan Statistical Area (as defined by the United States Census Bureau in 2003). ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ... Feminism is a social theory and political movement primarily informed and motivated by the experience of women. ... The Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) is an feminist organization. ... The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist group, founded in 1966, with 500,000 contributing members and 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. ...

Early Life and Education

After graduating from Strong Vincent High School in 1957, Smeal attended Duke University. At the time, Duke was not integrated and women made up only 25% of the enrolled students. Smeal participated in the fight for integration at Duke and graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1961. She also holds an M.A. in Political Science from the University of Florida and an honorary Doctor of Law degree from Duke University. Since 2001, Smeal is also the publisher of Ms. magazine which is owned and published by the Feminist Majority Foundation. Duke University is a private coeducational research university located in Durham, North Carolina, USA. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. ... The Phi Beta Kappa Society is an honor society which considers its mission to be fostering and recognizing excellence in undergraduate liberal arts and sciences. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant, space-grant, research university located in Gainesville, Florida. ... magazine Ms. ... The Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) is an feminist organization. ...

Political Activism

Eleanor Smeal joined the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1970 and served as president from 1977 to 1982 and again from 1985 to 1987. During this time, Smeal led the first national abortion rights march which drew over 100,000 activists to Washington, DC. After leaving NOW in 1987, Smeal saw a need for a new feminist organization that combined research, educational outreach, and political action. A 1986 Newsweek/Gallup poll reported that 56% of women in the US self-identify as feminists. Smeal reconciled her vision of a new feminist organization and the task of empowering women and men who support equity in the Feminist Majority Foundation. Several legislative measures bear Smeal’s imprint including the Free Access to Clinic Entrances legislation (influenced by Madsen v. Women’s Health Center) that President Bill Clinton signed into law in 1994, the defeat of Proposition 209 in California, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, the Equal Credit Act, the Civil Rights Restoration Act, the Violence Against Women Act, the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1991 and the fight to amend the Equal Rights Amendment. Smeal also played a major role in the integration of Little League, eliminating gender-segregated help wanted ads, the fights to make Social Security and pensions more equitable to women via a feminist budget, close the wage gap, achieve pay equity, and protect the right to legal abortion. The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist group, founded in 1966, with 500,000 contributing members and 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Newsweek logo Newsweek is a weekly news magazine published in New York City and distributed throughout the United States and internationally. ... A Gallup poll is an opinion poll frequently used by the mass media for representing public opinion. ... William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III[1] on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ... Proposition 209, a voter referendum passed in 1996, outlaws discrimination and preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting. ... // Pregnancy Discrimination Pregnancy Discrimination occurs when expectant women are fired, not hired, or otherwise discriminated against due to their pregnancy or intention to become pregnant. ... The Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA) is a United States federal law. ... The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE or the Access Act), 18 USC §248, prohibits the use of intimidation or physical force to prevent or discourage either access to a reproductive health care facility (which most notably includes abortion clinics) or from exercising their freedom to worship at... Several United States laws have been called the Civil Rights Act: Civil Rights Act of 1866[1] aimed to buttress Civil Rights Laws to protect freedmen and to grant full citizenship to those born on U.S. soil except Indians. ... The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution that was intended to guarantee equal rights under the law for Americans regardless of gender. ... Little League Baseball - Logo Little League pitcher in Winesburg, Ohio Little League, Wayne, Michigan Little League Baseball is the name of a non-profit organization in the United States which organizes local childrens leagues of baseball and softball throughout the USA and the rest of the world. ... Social Security in the United States is a social insurance program funded through dedicated payroll taxes called FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act). ...

Recognition

Eleanor Smeal and the Feminist Majority Foundation have received national and international recognition for their work. Smeal is the recipient of several awards for her work for feminism and human rights. The Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) is an feminist organization. ...

World Almanac chose Smeal as one of the most influential women in the United States (1983). Time Magazine chose her as one of 50 Faces for America’s Future (August 6, 1979). U.S. News and World Report chose her as the fourth most influential Washington lobbyist.

In addition to these accolades, Smeal has appeared on The Today Show, Nightline, Good Morning America, Larry King Live, and Crossfire. Her 1984 book How and Why Women Will Elect the Next President successfully identified a “gender gap” in politics. This “gender gap”, evident in the election of 1984, appeared again in the 1996 elections. Smeal’s term “gender gap” is now commonly used in the analysis of political elections. Today, commonly referred to as The Today Show to avoid ambiguity, is an American morning news and talk show airing weekday mornings on the NBC television network. ... Nightline is a late-night hard news program broadcast by ABC in the United States, and has a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the world. ... Good Morning America is a weekday morning news show that is broadcasted on the ABC television network. ... Larry King Live is a nightly CNN interview program hosted by broadcaster and writer Larry King. ... A crossfire (also known as interlocking fire) is a military term for the siting of weapons (often automatic weapons such as machine guns) so that their arcs of fire overlap, yay. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

External links

• Biography from FMF
• Feminist Majority Foundation Homepage