National Organization for Women

National Organization for Women: The National Organization for Women is the largest organization of grassroots feminist activists in the United States. NOW has hundreds of chapters and millions of members and activists in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Since our inception in 1966, NOW aims to promote feminist ideals, lead social change, eliminate discrimination, and achieve and protect equal rights for all women and girls in all aspects of social, political, and economic To take action through in-ground activism. life.

Now activists use both traditional and non-traditional methods to advance social change. Now activists do extensive electoral and lobbying work and bring lawsuits. We also organize mass marches, rallies, pickets, nonviolent civil disobedience, and immediate, reactive “zap” actions. Now in the face of conventional wisdom, the massive marches for women’s rights have resumed, which began in the 1960s. A march now organized in support of the Equal Rights Amendment took place in Washington, D.C. in 1978. attracted over 100,000 people. Now’s March for Women’s Lives drew 500,000 reproductive rights supporters to Washington, D.C. in 1989. In 1992, it drew 750,000 people to the largest women’s rights march ever. performance ever. In 1995, NOW organized the first mass demonstration to focus on the issue of violence against women and attracted 1.2 million people to the mall. More than 50,000 activists marched in San Francisco to fight for rights in 1996, marking the start of election season by focusing efforts to defend affirmative action. In 2004, the March for Women’s Lives became the largest mass action of any kind in American history, with a record 1.15 million people coming to Washington, D.C. to advocate for women’s reproductive health choices.

NOW’s actions have established the organization as a major force in the broader changes that have put more women in political office; increased educational, employment and business opportunities for women; and enacted stricter laws against violence, harassment, and discrimination.

NOW is an interdisciplinary, multi-issue, multi-strategy organization that takes a holistic approach to women’s rights. Our official priorities are to achieve economic equality and secure it with an amendment to the US Constitution that will guarantee equal rights for women; support abortion rights, reproductive justice as well as other women’s health issues; opposition to racism; fight discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in all areas, including employment, housing, health services and child custody; and ending violence against all women, regardless of race, age or socio-economic class.