Business and Professional Women
Encyclopedia
The work of BPW Foundation is supporting workforce development programs and workplace policies that recognize the diverse needs of working women, communities and businesses. Advocacy is a cornerstone for the work of BPW Foundation that will continue to inform and guide our
research and programming and vice versa.
BPW Foundation brings together women, employers and policy makers to create change and expand workplace options, in order to develop an equitable and diverse workforce. BPW Foundation mission: to empower working women to achieve their full potential and to partner with employers to build successful workplaces through research, education, knowledge and policy.
BPW Foundation houses The Rawalt Research Center (The Rawalt Online Resource Center), a clearinghouse for information focused on working women and families.
Statement of purpose
BPW Foundation is a bipartisan organization that fosters the success of working women by providing career advancement resources, work/life strategies and personal and professional connections. Its mission is "to empower working women to achieve their full potential and to partner with employers to build successful workplaces".Current issues
- Successful Workplaces Movement
- Pay equity
- Support for women veterans
- Contraceptive equity
- Family time flexible leave
- Equal Rights AmendmentEqual Rights AmendmentThe Equal Rights Amendment was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution. The ERA was originally written by Alice Paul and, in 1923, it was introduced in the Congress for the first time...
Structure
BPW Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) research and education organization impacting the lives of working women and their families nationwide. The work of BPW Foundation is supported through corporate partnerships, grants and individual philanthropic donations. Its Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) number is 10506. It is governed by a Board of Trustees.History
The legacy of Business and Professional Women/USA began in 1919. Although the organization has transformed over time, the legacy and vision remain intact.While mobilizing for World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the U.S. Government recognized the need for a cohesive group to coordinate identification of women's available skills and experience. A Women's War Council, financed through a federal grant, was established by the War Department
United States Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...
to organize the resources of professional women. It was guided principally by executives of the Young Women's Christian Association
Young Women's Christian Association
Young Women's Christian Association or YWCA or YWCA Building or Old YWCA Building or variations may refer to:*World YWCA, the organization formerly known as Young Women's Christian Associationor it may refer to:...
(YWCA). The National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs was founded on July 16, 1919, at a meeting led by Lena Madesin Phillips
Lena Madesin Phillips
Lena Madesin Phillips was a lawyer and clubwoman who founded the National Business and Professional Women's Clubs in 1919 and by 1930 the International Federation of Business and Professional Women....
of Kentucky. In the 1930s it became a charter member of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women
International Federation of Business and Professional Women
International Federation of Business and Professional Women is a worldwide organization committed to networking among and empowering women worldwide...
.
BPW/USA became the first organization created to focus on the issues of working women. BPW worked throughout the 1930s to prohibit legislation or directives denying jobs to married women and lobbied successfully to legislatively end the legal practice of workplace preference for unmarried persons and, in the case of married persons, preference for males. BPW/USA was one of the first women's organizations to endorse the Equal Rights Amendment
Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution. The ERA was originally written by Alice Paul and, in 1923, it was introduced in the Congress for the first time...
in 1937.
At the advent of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, BPW developed a classification system for women with specialized skills critical to the war effort and supported the formation of women's branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. While wage discrimination has existed in the U.S. since women and minorities first entered the paid workforce, its prevalence was not felt until the massive influx of women sought work during World War II. Immediately following the war, the Women's Pay Act of 1945 - the first ever legislation to require equal pay - was introduced in the U.S. Congress. It was another 18 years before an equal pay bill made its way to the President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
's desk to be signed into law.
BPW Foundation was incorporated in 1956 as the first foundation dedicated to providing resources to and about working women. It included research, information, career development programs, workshops and other training opportunities. The Marguerite Rawalt Resource Center, established in 1980 and put on-line 2006, is a major resource for information and documents on the history of women and women in the workplace.
The establishment of "Status of Women" commissions in the U.S. in 1963 was due largely to BPW efforts. President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
recognized BPW's leading role in securing passage of the Equal Pay Act by giving BPW's National President the first pen he used when signing the Act into law.
Virginia Allan initiated the "Young Careerist" Program to develop the business and presentation skills of young women between 25-35 years of age. The first National Legislative Conference, held in 1963 in D.C., later developed into BPW's current Policy & Action Conference, where members lobby Congress and the Administration on BPW's legislative issues.
BPW tackled "comparable worth" by calling for newspapers to stop the occupational segregation in classified ads (clustering of women in a few restricted occupations of low-paying, dead-end jobs). Numerous state and municipal governments revamped their pay scales, recognizing dissimilar jobs may not be identical, but may be composed of tasks, educational requirements, experience and other characteristics that are equivalent or comparable. In 1986, San Francisco became the first city in the nation to approve a pay equity referendum, implementing $34 million in increases for employees in female and minority-dominated jobs. Continuing with BPW's focus on workplace issues, BPW lobbied Congress for passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act, which finally passed in 1993.
Discussions on comparable worth were expanded to include enforcement and strengthening of existing Equal Pay legislation. The Pay Equity Employment Act of 1994, followed by the Equal Pay Act (introduced in 1994) and the Paycheck Fairness Act
Paycheck Fairness Act
The Paycheck Fairness Act is legislation being considered by the United States Congress to expand the scope of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and the Fair Labor Standards Act as part of an effort to address male–female income disparity in the United States...
(introduced in 1997) became BPW's focus legislation through the '90s. Then-Secretary of Labor, Elizabeth Dole
Elizabeth Dole
Mary Elizabeth Alexander Hanford "Liddy" Dole is an American politician who served in both the Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush presidential administrations, as well as a United States Senator....
, and First Lady Barbara Bush
Barbara Bush
Barbara Pierce Bush is the wife of the 41st President of the United States George H. W. Bush, and served as First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993. She is the mother of the 43rd President George W. Bush and of the 43rd Governor of Florida Jeb Bush...
addressed BPW's members at the White House Briefing during the 1990 "Lobby Day" event. Subsequent speakers have included Senator Tom Harkin
Tom Harkin
Thomas Richard "Tom" Harkin is the junior United States Senator from Iowa and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the United States House of Representatives ....
, First Lady (Senator) Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
and Congresswomen Rosa DeLauro
Rosa DeLauro
Rosa L. DeLauro is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1991. She is a member of the Democratic Party.The district is based in New Haven, and includes most of that city's suburbs.-Early life, education and career:...
and Eleanor Holmes Norton
Eleanor Holmes Norton
Eleanor Holmes Norton is a Delegate to Congress representing the District of Columbia. In her position she is able to serve on and vote with committees, as well as speak from the House floor...
.
In 2005, BPW used its grassroots power to continue the Bureau of Labor and Statistics' (BLS) Working Women Series and to re-instate Lifetime TV on the DISH Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
programming. During this same year in October, BPW/USA launched Women Joining Forces:Closing Ranks, Opening Doors (WJF) , a program to support women veterans as they transition from military to civilian life. This committment made BPW/USA the first and only non-governmental agency to offer programming that supports women veterans.
Workplace equity issues including sexual harassment
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...
, opportunities for women veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
s, work-life balance
Work-life balance
Work–life balance is a broad concept including proper prioritizing between "work" on the one hand and "life" on the other. Related, though broader, terms include "lifestyle balance" and "life balance".-History:The work-leisure dichotomy was invented in the mid 1800s...
, health care reform
Health care reform
Health care reform is a general rubric used for discussing major health policy creation or changes—for the most part, governmental policy that affects health care delivery in a given place...
, dependent care, tort reform
Tort reform
Tort reform refers to proposed changes in common law civil justice systems that would reduce tort litigation or damages. Tort actions are civil common law claims first created in the English commonwealth system as a non-legislative means for compensating wrongs and harm done by one party to...
, increasing the minimum wage
Minimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily or monthly remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers. Equivalently, it is the lowest wage at which workers may sell their labour. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in a great many jurisdictions, there are differences of opinion about...
, lifetime economic security and pay equity continue to be BPW's targeted issues.Women in business.Sex at work.
In 2009 BPW Foundation merged with its sister organization BPW/USA to continue the work and legacy of supporting working women, their families and successful workplaces.
List of BPW/USA National Presidents
- 1919-1920: Gail Laughlin
- 1920-1923: Lena Lake Forrest
- 1923-1925: Adelia Prichard
- 1925-1926: Olive Joy Wright
- 1926-1929: Lena Madesin Phillips***
- 1929-1931: Marion H. McClench
- 1931-1935: Geline MacDonald Bowman
- 1935-1937: Charl Ormond Williams
- 1937-1939: Earlene White
- 1939-1944: Dr. Minnie L. Maffett
- 1944-1946: Margaret A. Hickey
- 1946-1948: Sally Butler***
- 1948-1950: Dr. K. Frances Scott
- 1950-1952: Judge Sarah T. Hughes
- 1952-1954: Helen G. Irwin***
- 1954-1956: Dr. Marguerite Rawalt**
- 1956-1958: Hazel Palmer**
- 1958-1960: Grace B. Daniels**
- 1960-1961: Fannie Hardy**
- 1961-1962: Katherine Peden**
- 1962-1963: Dr. Minnie C. Miles**
- 1963-1964: Dr. Virginia Allan**
- 1964-1965: Dr. Dorothy Ford**
- 1966-1967: Sarah Jane Cunningham**
- 1967-1968: Mabel R. McClanahan**
- 1968-1969: Hope Roberts**
- 1969-1970: Myra Ruth Harmon**
- 1970-1971: Ruth M. Easerling**
- 1971-1972: Osta Underwood**
- 1972-1973: Jeanne C. Squire**
- 1973-1974: Jean L. McCarrey**
- 1974-1975: Marie B. Bowden**
- 1975-1976: Maxine R. Hayes**/****
- 1976-1977: Jane Culbreth**
- 1977-1978: Piilani C. Desha**
- 1978-1979: Geraldine R. Eidson**
- 1979-1980: Julia K. Arri**
- 1980-1981: Dr. Dorine Chancellor**
- 1981-1982: Phyliss Harrison**
- 1982-1983: Jeri S. Libner**
- 1983-1984: Polly Madenwald**
- 1984-1985: Winifred E. Lethbridge**
- 1985-1986: Anne Steinbeck**
- 1987-1988: Beth Wray**
- 1988-1989: Betty J. Forbes**
- 1989-1990: LaVerne F. Collins**
- 1990-1991: Elizabeth Athanasakos**
- 1991-1992: Pat Taylor**
- 1992-1993: Jo Etta Y. Wickliffe**
- 1993-1994: Dianne Studer**
- 1994-1995: Cindy L. Winckler**
- 1995-1996: Dr. Anna Vacca**
- 1996-1997: Candace G. Butler**
- 1997-1998: Joyce R. Hart**
- 1998-1999: Susan B. Dailey**
- 1999-2000: Robin J. Robinson**
- 2000-2001: Patricia Cornish**
- 2001-2002: Leslie R. Wilkins**
- 2002-2003: Cindy Patterson Young**
- 2003-2004: Carolyn V. Grady
- 2004-2005: Nancy L. Hurlbert
- 2005-2006: Roslyn R. Ridgeway**
- 2006-2007: Nancy Jackson
- 2007-2008: Barb Henton
- 2008-2009: Diane Polangin
The "*" denotes the following:
- Chair of BPW Foundation**
- International President***
- International President-representing Australia Federation****
Further reading
- Kathleen A. Laughlin. "Civic Feminists: The Politics of the Minnesota Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs, 1942-1965," in Laughlin, Kathleen A., and Jacqueline L. Castledine, eds., Breaking the Wave: Women, Their Organizations, and Feminism, 1945-1985. (New York: Routledge, 2011) pp. 11-27
See also
- Lena Madesin PhillipsLena Madesin PhillipsLena Madesin Phillips was a lawyer and clubwoman who founded the National Business and Professional Women's Clubs in 1919 and by 1930 the International Federation of Business and Professional Women....
- International Federation of Business and Professional WomenInternational Federation of Business and Professional WomenInternational Federation of Business and Professional Women is a worldwide organization committed to networking among and empowering women worldwide...