The Presidential Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW) was established to advise the President of the United States on issues concerning the status of women. It was created by John F. Kennedy's executive order 10980 signed December 14, 1961. The presidential seal was used by president Hayes in 1880 and last modified in 1959 by adding the 50th star for Hawaii. ... John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to as John F. Kennedy, JFK or Jack Kennedy, was the 35th President of the United States. ... An executive order is an edict issued by a member of the executive branch of a government, usually the head of that branch. ... December 14 is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Background

John F. Kennedy's administration proposed the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women as a "compromise" measure. It would address people who were concerned about women's status while avoiding alienating the Kennedy administration's labor base through a potential mention of the Equal Rights Amendment. John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to as John F. Kennedy, JFK or Jack Kennedy, was the 35th President of the United States. ... The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution which would have guaranteed equal rights under law for Americans regardless of sex. ...

Equality vs. protective legislation

Until the 1970s, organized labor opposed the Equal Rights Amendment, believing that women workers deserved protective legislation as opposed to equal rights. Protective legislation advocated gender-based workplace restrictions for women on the belief that their biological differences needed to be accommodated in the workplace. Supported by many 19th century progressives including some feminists (difference feminists), protective legislation was supposed to help working women avoid workplace injury and exploitation. This article or section contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution which would have guaranteed equal rights under law for Americans regardless of sex. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Difference feminism is a branch of feminism that stresses that men and women are essentially very different beings, instead of past feminisms of equality that stress a fundamental sameness between men and women in some way. ...

However, it instead more often provided employers with the justification to avoid hiring women altogether. If women needed so many accommodations in the workplace, it was subsequently easier and cheaper for employers to only hire men.

The commission is formed

When PCSW began in 1961, Congress began considering 432 pieces of legislation related to women's status. The PCSW's very existence gave the federal government an incentive to again consider women's rights and roles as being a serious issue worthy of political debate and public policymaking. Within that same time period, the Supreme Court handed down rulings which allowed women to serve on juries and married couples to use contraceptives. The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the U.S.. As the highest court, it provides the leadership of the judicial branch of the U.S. federal government. ...

The Kennedy administration itself publically positioned the PCSW as a Cold War era initiative to free up women's talents for national security purposes. To win against "the reds", America needed everybody. America could not have everybody if the nation lacked information about women's sociolegal status. The Cold War was the protracted geopolitical, ideological, and economic struggle that emerged after World War II between the global superpowers of the Soviet Union and the United States, supported by their respective and emerging alliance partners. ... This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ...

Eleanor Roosevelt, widow of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, was appointed to chair the PCSW. Roosevelt chaired the PCSW until her death in 1962. A replacement was subsequently appointed to continue the work. Eleanor Roosevelt. ... Franklin Delano Roosevelt (The Delano family name is correctly prounounced IPA: )(January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945), 32nd President of the United States, First and last person to be elected President more than twice. ...

PCSW Members

PCSW committee members came from professional organizations, trade unions, religious groups, social and political clubs. Contrary to latter assertions by some activists from the women's liberation movement, the members were not uniformly white and middle class. They also included men.

• Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Chair
• Dr. Richard A. Lester, President of Economics, Princeton University, Vice Chair
• Mrs. Esther Peterson, Assistant Secretary of Labor, Executive Vice Chair
• Robert F. Kennedy, Attorney General
• Orville L. Freeman, Secretary of Agriculture
• Luther H. Hodges, Secretary of Commerce
• Arthur J. Goldberg, Secretary of Labor
• Abraham A. Ribicoff, Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare
• John W. Macy Jr., Chair, United States Civil Service Commission
• Senator George D. Aiken (D Vermont)
• Senator Maurine B. Neuberger (D Oregon)
• Representative Edith Green (D Oregon)
• Representative Jessica M. Weis (R New York)
• Mrs. Ellen Body, Rancher and civic leader, Henrietta, Texas
• Dr. Mary I. Bunting, President, Radcliffe College
• Mrs. Mary R. Callahan, Member, Executive Board, International Union of Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers, AFL-CIO
• Dr. Henry David, President, New School for Social Research
• Miss Dorthy Height, President, National Council of Negro Women; Director, Leadership Training Services, Young Women's Christian Association
• Mrs. Margaret Hickey, lawyer, Contributing Editor,[[Italic textLadies Home JournalItalic text]]
• Mrs. Viola H. Hymes, National President, National Council of Jewish Women
• Edgar F. Kaiser, Industrialist
• Miss Margaret J. Mealey, Executive Director, National Council of Catholic Women
• Miss Marguerite Rawalt, lawyer, former president of National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs; branch chief in Office of Chief Counsel, IRS
• William F. Schnitzler, Secretary-Treasuer, AFL-CIO
• Dr. Caroline Ware, Sociologist, Historian for UNESCO
• Dr. Cynthia Wedel, psychologist, teacher, former Vice President, National Council of Churches; Member, National Board of Girl Scouts of America

Eleanor Roosevelt. ... Princeton University, incorporated as The Trustees of Princeton University, located in Princeton, New Jersey, is the fourth-oldest institution to conduct higher education in the United States. ... Esther Peterson (December 9, 1906 - December 20, 1997) was a lifelong consumer and womens advocate. ... For the New Zealand cricketer, see Robert Kennedy (cricketer). ... Orville Freeman Orville Lothrop Freeman (May 9, 1918 - February 20, 2003) was an American Democratic politician who served as the 29th Governor of Minnesota from January 5, 1955 to January 2, 1961 and as the US Secretary of Agriculture from 1961-1969. ... Luther Hartwell Hodges Luther Hartwell Hodges (9 March 1898 – 6 October 1974) was the Democratic governor of the state of North Carolina from 1954 to 1961 and United States Secretary of Commerce from 1961 to 1965. ... Arthur Joseph Goldberg (August 8, 1908 _ January 19, 1990) was an American statesman. ... Abraham Ribicoff Abraham Alexander Ribicoff (April 9, 1910 – February 22, 1998) was an American Democratic Party politician. ... The Office of Personnel Management or OPM is the United States government agency which serves to manage the civil service of the United States by the recruitment of qualified personnel into and the administration of their careers as part of the United States Civil Service. ... George David Aiken (August 20, 1892–November 19, 1984) was an American politician from Vermont. ... Radcliffe College is the historical name of a womens educational institution closely associated with Harvard University, one of the Seven Sisters. ... The AFL-CIO is the largest labor union federation in the United States. ... New School University is an institute of higher learning in New York City. ... The National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) was founded in 1935 by Mary McLeod Bethune, child of slave parents, distinguished educator and government consultant. ... Neysa Moran McMein (1888-1949) Y.W.C.A. In Service for the Girls of the World, Poster, 1919 The YWCA (Young Womens Christian Association) is a world-wide organisation. ... The National Council of Jewish Women is an organization initially formed at the 1893 World Parliament of Religions in Chicago. ... IRS is short for U.S. Internal Revenue Service short for Indian Revenue Service short for Independent rear suspension, used in automobiles. ... The AFL-CIO is the largest labor union federation in the United States. ... UNESCO logo The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, commonly known as UNESCO, is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (usually identified as National Council of Churches, or NCC) is a religious organization currently (2006) consisting of 35 Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, African-American and historic peace Christian denominations in the United States, and is widely regarded as a leading... It has been suggested that Mariner Scout be merged into this article or section. ...

Notes

Because Robert F. Kennedy was his brother's closest adviser, the appointment further suggests the Kennedy White House was genuinely interested in PCSW activities. The administration was not doing PCSW for token appearances. For the New Zealand cricketer, see Robert Kennedy (cricketer). ...

Rawalt helped found the National Organization for Women after she served on the PCSW. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

The Presidential Report on American Women

October 1963, the PSCW issued their final report documenting the status of American women.

The report criticized inequalities facing the American woman in a "free" society while paradoxically praising traditional gender roles as themselves being anti-communist.

Reflecting the then-position of labor and Kennedy's labor ties, the report avoided mentioning the Equal Rights Amendment as a potential remedy. The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution which would have guaranteed equal rights under law for Americans regardless of sex. ...

Coverage of the Commission and Report

U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau head Esther Peterson appeared on The Today Show to discuss commission findings and ramifications. The United States Department of Labor is a Cabinet department of the United States government responsible for occupational safety, wage and hour standards, unemployment insurance benefits, re-employment services, and some economic statistics. ... Esther Peterson (December 9, 1906 - December 20, 1997) was a lifelong consumer and womens advocate. ... TODAY (commonly referred to as The Today Show) is a morning news and talk show airing on the NBC television network in the United States. ...

The Associated Press ran a four-part nationwide story on the final report recommendations, and a 1965 mass-market book was published of the findings. Associated Press logo This article concerns the news service. ...

Creation of a national commission subsequently encouraged states and localities (cities, colleges and universities...etc) to begin studying women's sociolegal status. All fifty states had commissions in operation by 1967.

PSCW founds the National Organization for Women

The PSCW was only supposed to research and report on women's status, but that process subsequently radicalized many commission members. Realizing that they were not alone in caring about women's rights, an underground activist network quickly spread across America. It was only then a matter of time before the network publically organized.

At a subsequent 1966 Citizens Advisory Council on the Status of Women (successor to the PSCW), several of the attendees began talking with each other about their similar frustrations with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC) lack of interest in enforcing sex non-discrimination. Representative Howard K. Smith (Virginia) had added 'sex' into the 1964 Civil Rights Act to attempt derailing the measure so African Americans would not gain civil rights. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC, is a U.S. federal agency tasked with ending employment discrimination in the United States. ... (Redirected from 1964 Civil Rights Act) President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black), is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... Civil rights or positive rights are those legal rights retained by citizens and protected by the government. ...

Much to his own surprise, the entire amended Act passed into law without additional floor debate. For the first time, the United States had a law against sex discrimination in federally-funded public accommodations.

Because enforcement against sex discrimination was proving to be much more difficult, the CACSW conference attendees subsequently wanted to create an independent organization--a "NAACP for women" to press for enforcement of this law and for acchieving other objectives. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), is one of the oldest and most influential civil rights organizations in the United States. ...

The National Organization for Women (NOW) was founded by former CACSW/PSCW members and public leaders who had grown very frustrated that sociolegal reality was very slow to catch up with both the written laws and their own aspirations of women's equality. A former EEOC commissioner, Richard Graham, was on NOW's first officer board as a Vice President. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Richard Graham is a historian. ...

Sources

• Davis, F. (1999). Moving the mountain: The women's movement in America since 1960. Chicago: University of Illinois.
• Martin, J. M. (2003). The presidency and women: Promise, performance, and illusion. College Station, Texas: Texas A&M.

External link

• Executive Order 10980