Throughout American history women have fought hard against many political issues, from the women's suffrage movement to fair pay. Through the years women have organized themselves to fight for these political issues as a team. One of the many women organizations that exist today is NOW foundation, which stands for the National Organization for Women. This organization was created to aware women of their limited opportunities and unites them to strengthen their rights. Established in 1966 by 28 professional women, the organization was led by Betty Freidan. Many who first started this organization had played a big part in the Civil Rights movement and now it was time to fight for women's inequality. .
Currently NOW continues to focus on women's equality through equal employment as well as many other issues which include: education, litigation, which focus on women's reproductive health options, ending violence against women, lesbian and gay rights, and sex discrimination in employment and military. Some of the strategies used are informing the general public and policy makers of the importance for women equality. As well as informing, NOW holds seminars, conferences, and even has training programs to properly educate new members on any of the current issues. NOW also promotes the idea of voting which will encourage women to continue to vote and stay politically active in their communities. .
When NOW was established in 1966, it was organize to promote and encourage women to fight for gender equality, especially in the work place, where many employers were refusing to hire women even when Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was passed. The purpose of this organization was to mobilize women and give them power to pressure the government and employers versus now where the organization wants to empower women and encourage them to stay active in their government. Recently, NOW began a campaign called Love Your Body, which "challenges the message that a woman's value is best measured through her willingness and ability to embody current beauty standards ".
