The National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year was a presidential commission created by

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...

on January 9, 1975 to promote the national observance in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

International Women's Year International Women's Year (IWY) was the name given to 1975 by the United Nations. Since that year March 8 has been celebrated as International Women's Day, and the United Nations Decade for Women, from 1976 to 1985, was also established. History ...

. The commission was tasked with "encouraging cooperative activity in the field of women's rights and responsibilities" in conjunction with International Women's Year, which had been declared by the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

in 1972. It was established by Executive Order 11832 and originally composed of 35 private citizens appointed by the president. The Commission was extended by congressional statute b
HR 9924
beyond 1975 to March 31, 1978. The Commission enjoyed continued support by President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

after his assumption of office in January 1977, culminating in the organizing of the

1977 National Women's Conference The National Women's Conference of 1977 was a four-day event during November 18–21, 1977, as organized by the National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year. The conference drew around 2,000 delegates along with 15,000-20, ...

and its 1978 report
''The Spirit of Houston''
which was a summary of the 26 planks adopted as the National Plan of Action at the conference. After the commission's expiry in March 1978, Carter established the

National Advisory Committee for Women The National Advisory Committee for Women (NACW) was a Presidential Commission (United States), presidential commission established by President Jimmy Carter in 1978. It was renamed the President's Advisory Committee for Women (PACFW), with a redu ...

by executive order.

Membership

The Commission's membership was originally composed of 35 private citizens appointed by the President. This number was expanded to 45 by executive order from President Carter. While the Carter presidency did originally consider reappointed a larger number of members from the Ford administration, only a handful did so: Elizabeth Athanasakos, the outgoing presiding officer; Audrey Rowe Colom, chairperson of the

National Women's Political Caucus The National Women's Political Caucus (NWPC) is an organization which was founded in 1971 by leaders of the women's liberation movement to promote women's participation in government. The group describes itself as a multi-partisan grassroots or ...

; Martha Griffiths, the first woman elected to Congress from

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

; Lenore Hershey, editor of

Ladies' Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine that ran until 2016 and was last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th centur ...

; Ersa Poston, a

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

; and Gerridee Wheeler, Republican political official from

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

. The ''ex officio'' congressional members were all retained, with the exception of Bella Abzug, who lost her election to be a Senator for New York, who became the new presiding officer and was replaced by fellow New York Democratic congresswoman

Elizabeth Holtzman Elizabeth Holtzman (born August 11, 1941) is an American attorney and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from New York's 16th congressional district as a member of the Democratic Party from 1973 to 1981. She the ...

. The first Presiding Officer was

Jill Ruckelshaus Jill Elizabeth Ruckelshaus (née Strickland; born 1937) is a former special White House assistant and head of the White House Office of Women's Programs and a feminist activist. She also served as a commissioner for the United States Commission o ...

until June 1976, after which it was Elizabeth Athanasakos. The Commission also included four

Members of Congress A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...

, two Senators and two Representatives in its membership. Those members were: Senator

Birch Bayh Birch Evans Bayh Jr. (; January 22, 1928 – March 14, 2019) was an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as a member of United States Senate from 1963 to 1981. He was first elected t ...

( D), Senator

Charles H. Percy Charles Harting Percy (September 27, 1919 – September 17, 2011), also known as Chuck Percy, was an American businessman and politician. He was president of the Bell & Howell Corporation from 1949 to 1964, and served as a Republican U.S. sen ...

( R), Representative

Bella Abzug Bella Abzug (; née Savitzky; July 24, 1920 – March 31, 1998), nicknamed "Battling Bella", was an American lawyer, politician, social activist, and a leader in the women's movement. In 1971, Abzug joined other leading feminists such as Gloria ...

( D), and Representative

Margaret Heckler Margaret Mary Heckler (née O'Shaughnessy; June 21, 1931 – August 6, 2018) was an American politician and diplomat who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1967 until 1983. A member of the Republican Party, she al ...

( R). Other members during the Ford presidency (1975-8) were: *

Alan Alda Alan Alda (; born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; January 28, 1936) is an American actor. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner and a three-time Tony Award nominee, he is best known for playing Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pier ...

Ethel D. Allen Ethel D. Allen (May 8, 1929 – December 16, 1981) was an African Americans, African-American politician and physician from the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, who served as the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania un ...

Anne Armstrong Anne Legendre Armstrong (December 27, 1927 – July 30, 2008) was a United States diplomat and politician. She was the first woman to serve as Counselor to the President and as United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom, serving in those ca ...

* Margaret Long Arnold *

Barbara Bergmann Barbara Rose Bergmann (20 July 1927 – 5 April 2015) was a feminist economist. Her work covers many topics from childcare and gender issues to poverty and Social Security. Bergmann was a co-founder and president of the International Association ...

* Patricia Carbine * Weston Christopherson * Mary Stallings Coleman * Audrey Rowe Colom * Helen K. Copley * Richard Cornuelle * Casey Eike * Paula Gibson * Gilda Gjurich *

Ella T. Grasso Ella Rosa Giovianna Oliva Grasso (née Tambussi; May 10, 1919 – February 5, 1981) was an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as the 83rd governor of Connecticut from January 8, 1975, to December 31, 1980, after r ...

* Martha Griffiths *

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress whose Katharine Hepburn on screen and stage, career as a Golden Age of Hollywood, Hollywood leading lady spanned six decades. She was known for her headstrong ...

* Lenore Hershey * Velma Murphy Hill * Patricia Hutar * Rita Johnston * Ellen Groves Kirby * Dorothy Vale Kissinger *

Clare Boothe Luce Clare Boothe Luce (; March 10, 1903 – October 9, 1987) was an American writer, politician, diplomat, and public conservative figure. A versatile author, she is best known for her 1936 hit play '' The Women'', which had an all-female cast. He ...

* William Crawford Mercer * Ersa Poston * Sister Joel Read * Betty Smith * Mary Louise Smith (Sep 1975-7) *

Barbara Walters Barbara Jill Walters (September 25, 1929December 30, 2022) was an American broadcast journalist and television personality. Known for her interviewing ability and popularity with viewers, she appeared as a host of numerous television programs, ...

(1975 only) * Annie Dodge Wauneka * Gerridee Wheeler * Winfield C. Dunn During the Carter presidency, the Presiding Officer was

, a former ''ex officio'' member as a

US Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

. Other members included: * Ruth Abram *

Maya Angelou Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credi ...

* Elizabeth Athanasakos * Betty Blanton * Cecilia Preciado Burgiaga *

Liz Carpenter Mary Elizabeth Sutherland Carpenter (September 1, 1920 – March 20, 2010) was a writer, feminist, reporter, media advisor, speechwriter, political humorist, and public relations expert. As the first woman executive assistant to Vice President ...

* John Mack Carter * Sey Chassler * Ruth C. Clusen * Audrey Rowe Colom * Jane Culbreth * Harry T. Edwards * Rita Elway * Beverly Everett *

Betty Ford Elizabeth Anne Ford (; formerly Warren; April 8, 1918 – July 8, 2011) was First Lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977, as the wife of President Gerald Ford. As first lady, she was active in social policy, and set a precedent as a politi ...

* Bernice S. Frieder * Martha Griffiths * Dorothy Haener * Rhea Mojica Hammer *

LaDonna Harris LaDonna Vita Tabbytite Harris (born February 15, 1931) is a Comanche Native American social activist and politician from Oklahoma. She is the founder and president of Americans for Indian Opportunity. Harris was a vice presidential candidate ...

* Lenore Hershey *

Koryne Horbal Koryne Kaneski Horbal (February 11, 1937 - May 15, 2017) was a United States Representative on the Commission on the Status of Women of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. She also served as a chairwoman of the Minnesota Democr ...

Mildred Jeffrey Mildred McWilliams "Millie" Jeffrey (December 29, 1910 – March 24, 2004) was an American political and social activist during the labor reforms, women's rights, and civil rights movement. Biography Mildred Jeffrey's mother, Bertha McWill ...

* Jeffalyn Johnson *

Coretta Scott King Coretta Scott King ( Scott; April 27, 1927 – January 30, 2006) was an American author, activist, and civil rights leader who was the wife of Martin Luther King Jr. from 1953 until his assassination in 1968. As an advocate for African-Ameri ...

Mary Anne Krupsak Mary Anne Krupsak (March 26, 1932 – December 28, 2024) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. She was the lieutenant governor of New York from 1975 to 1978. She was the first woman to hold the office. Early life Krupsak was born ...

* Margaret Mealey *

Jean O'Leary Jean O'Leary (March 4, 1948 – June 4, 2005) was an American lesbian and gay rights activist. She was the founder of Lesbian Feminist Liberation, one of the first lesbian activist groups in the women's movement, and an early member and co-di ...

* Mildred Persinger * Connie Plunkett * Ersa Poston * Claire Randall * Alice S. Rossi * Gloria Scott *

Eleanor Smeal Eleanor Marie Smeal ( Cutri; born July 30, 1939) is an American women's rights activist. She is the president and a cofounder of the Feminist Majority Foundation (founded in 1987) and has served as president of the National Organization for Wome ...

Jean Stapleton Jean Stapleton (born Jeanne Murray; January 19, 1923 – May 31, 2013) was an American character actress of stage, television and film. Stapleton is best known for her portrayal of Edith Bunker, the perpetually optimistic and devoted wif ...

Gloria Steinem Gloria Marie Steinem ( ; born March 25, 1934) is an American journalist and social movement, social-political activist who emerged as a nationally recognized leader of second-wave feminism in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. ...

* Ethel Taylor * Carmen Delgado Votaw * Gerridee Wheeler * Addie Wyatt The membership of the Carter years of the Commission was notable for its diversity and its inclusion of minority groups. Prominent

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

and

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

leader

were added as members, as was

, as a representative voice from the

National Gay Task Force The National LGBTQ Task Force (formerly National Gay Task Force; National Gay and Lesbian Task Force) is an American social justice advocacy non-profit organizing the grassroots power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ ...

. This carried notable consequences for the commission's work, including the proposition of a plank around lesbian rights in th
National Plan of Action
one of the most controversial sections and one of the highest level debates for LGBT rights at its time.

Activities

The activities of the commission changed over time, in line with the political interests of the presidents at the time. In both presidencies, the adoption of the

Equal Rights Amendment The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was a proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States, United States Constitution that would explicitly prohibit sex discrimination. It is not currently a part of the Constitution, though its Ratifi ...

was a prominent theme, with its ratification debate lasting throughout the duration of the Commission's existence.

World Conference on Women, 1975

The United Nations' activities around International Women's Year focused on the

World Conference on Women, 1975 World Conference on Women, 1975 was held between 19 June and 2 July 1975 in Mexico City, Mexico. It was the first international conference held by the United Nations to focus solely on women's issues and marked a turning point in policy directives ...

, held in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

. The United States participated in the conference, sending three representatives: Patricia Hutar, delegation head and U.S. Representative to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women; Jewel LaFontant, former Deputy Solicitor General of the

Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

and U.S. Representative of the Conference; and Jill Ruckelshaus. The conference culminated in a World Plan of Action, which the United States voted against due to its inclusion of

anti-Zionist Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism. Although anti-Zionism is a heterogeneous phenomenon, all its proponents agree that the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, and the movement to create a sovereign Jewish state in the Palestine (region) ...

language.

To_Form_a_More_Perfect_Union_Justice_for_American_Women_-_IWY_Commission_1976_Report_Cover

While the United States did not sign the World Plan of Action, the Commission published a report to the United States President, entitled
"To Form a More Perfect Union...": Justice for American Women
'. The report focuses on a number of issues, including gendered divisions of domestic labor, the Equal Rights Amendment, the under-representation of women in public life, and child care. The report is notable for its endorsement of the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

's decision in

Roe v. Wade ''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a List of landmark court decisions in the United States, landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States protected the right to have an ...

and asked the government to continue to remove other barriers "to permit women greater choice with regard to their reproductive lives."

1977 National Women's Conference

In the Carter years, the Commission turned its focus to the

and its 56 supporting state and territorial conventions, where delegates for the national conference were to be selected. The event was one of the first events of its kind to be funded by the U.S. government and came at the pinnacle of

second-wave feminism Second-wave feminism was a period of feminist activity that began in the early 1960s and lasted roughly two decades, ending with the feminist sex wars in the early 1980s and being replaced by third-wave feminism in the early 1990s. It occurred ...

American politics In the United States, politics functions within a framework of a constitutional federal republic, federal democratic republic with a presidential system. The three distinct branches Separation of powers, share powers: United States Congress, C ...

. The conference was a key part of the

FX on Hulu FX Networks, LLC, commonly known as FX Networks, is an American media company built around FX, FXX, and FX Movie Channel, plus their associated production company, FX Productions, and is a subsidiary of Disney General Entertainment Content, th ...

television series ''Mrs. America'', where many of the Commission's members, including two of its three presiding officers, were main characters.

References

{{reflist Presidency of Gerald Ford 1975 establishments in the United States Women's rights in the United States Presidency of Jimmy Carter Second-wave feminism in the United States 1975 in women's history