OWL - The Voice of Women 40+ was founded as the Older Women's League by Tish Sommers and Laurie Shields, following the White House Mini-Conference on Older Women in

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

in October 1980. The conference, called "Growing Numbers, Growing Force," addressed three main concerns: ensuring adequate income, health concerns of older women, and quality of life and the impact of aging. About 200 women participants stayed on after the conference, at their own expense, to start the Older Women's League, an outgrowth of the Older Women's League Educational Fund, founded by Tish Sommers and Laurie Shields, and named Sommers as the first president of OWL. In March 2017, it was reported that the national organization had decided to disband, but local chapters may continue to function under the OWL name or possibly another name.

Mission

OWL was a nonpartisan, nonprofit, national membership organization headquartered in Washington, DC, that advocated for the estimated 78 million women in the U.S. who are age 40 and over. Its core issues were economic and retirement security, encore careers and entrepreneurship, wellness, cost-effective and comprehensive health care,

Social Security Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specificall ...

, and long-term care.

Advocacy

Advocacy was carried out through: * Educational initiatives on issues such as workforce challenges, access to healthcare and long-term care, and strengthening Social Security * Reports and other publications offering policy recommendations and best practices * Briefings for congressional staff, media, and the public * Collaborations with other organizations on common issues * Updates on policies and proposals Membership dues and donations, and grants from foundations and corporations were OWL’s prime funding sources. OWL has successfully advocated for legislation, including the Retirement Equity Act and a law allowing widows to continue using their spouses' health insurance. In the 1980s, OWL formed a planning group with the

National Women's Health Network The National Women's Health Network (NWHN) is a non-profit women's health advocacy organization located in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1975 by Barbara Seaman, Alice Wolfson, Belita Cowan, Mary Howell, and Phyllis Chesler. The stated missi ...

, the

American Association of University Women The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide network of 170,000 ...

, the

National Black Women's Health Project Black Women's Health Imperative, previously the National Black Women's Health Project, was formed in 1984 in Atlanta, Georgia out of a need to address the health and reproductive rights of African American women. NBWHP was principally founded by ...

and other organizations to establish a women's agenda for health care reform. In 1990, OWL allowed the newly created Campaign for Women's Health to have space in its Washington D.C. offices.

References

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External links

OWL - The Voice of Women 40+
Seniors' organizations Feminist organizations in the United States Organizations established in 1980 Women's organizations based in the United States Women in Iowa