Feminist Majority Foundation

Feminist Majority Foundation logo.

Feminist Majority Foundation offices

The Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) is a non-profit organization in the United States dedicated to women's equality, reproductive health, and non-violence,^[1] headquartered in Arlington County, Virginia. The name Feminist Majority comes from a 1986 Newsweek/Gallup public opinion poll in which 56 percent of American women self-identified as feminists. President and founder Eleanor Smeal chose the name to reflect the results of the poll, implying that the majority of women are feminists.

History and structure

The FMF—an IRS 501(c)(3) tax deductible, non-profit organization—is a research and education organization and the publisher of Ms. magazine. Founded in 1987 by Eleanor Smeal and some cofounders, three-time President of NOW (1977–82, 1985–87), it has offices in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, California. Its chair is Peg Yorkin.^[2]

FMF became the publisher of Ms. in 2001.^[3] supporting the magazine in becoming a non-profit organization. Co-founded in 1972 by political activist and feminist Gloria Steinem, Ms. is a women's magazine owned and produced by women that publishes articles on the conditions of women in the United States and abroad.^[4] Ms. covered the situation of women in Afghanistan before the U.S. invasion, as well as the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, amidst the resignation of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, and contributed to the pressure surrounding the resignation of former House of Representatives Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

The FMF has several campaigns and programs that deal with Women's Health and Reproductive Rights domestically and abroad, including:

• National Clinic Access Project
• Campaign for Women's Health
• Mifepristone
• Choices Campus Leadership Program (College and University Women)
• Global Reproductive Rights Campaign
• Campaign for Afghan Women and Girls^[5]
• Emergency Contraception Initiative
• National Center for Women and Policing
• Education Equity Program
• Rock for Choice^[6]

Mission statement

The Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) was created to develop bold, new strategies and programs to advance women's equality, non-violence, economic development, and, most importantly, empowerment of women and girls in all sectors of society. All programs of the FMF endeavor to include a global perspective and activities to promote leadership development, especially among young women. Along with reproductive rights and access to reproductive technology, the FMF's programs have focused on the empowerment of women in law, business, medicine, academia, sports, and the Internet.^[7]

Its sister organization, the Feminist Majority (formerly Fund for the Feminist Majority), a 501(c)(4) organization, focuses on empowering women in public policy-making as well as in gender balance in elective and appointive offices.

Accomplishments

• On March 23 and 24 of 2013, FMF hosted its 9th Annual National Young Feminist Leadership conference at the Double Tree Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia, with speakers such as Dolores Huerta (President, Dolores Huerta Foundation/Co-Founder United Farm Workers/Recipient of Presidential Medal of Freedom), Morgane Richardson (Founder of Refuse The Silence), Monica Simpson (Executive Director, Sister Song), Ivanna Gonzalez (Who Needs Feminism?).^[8]
• In 2006, FMF worked against an anti-affirmative action ballot measure in Michigan (the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, which passed in 2006 but was overturned in 2011 in the federal circuit court^[9]) and to pass a ballot initiative in South Dakota to repeal a state abortion ban.
• In 2004, the Feminist Majority was one of five principal organizers of the "March for Women's Lives", which brought more than 1.15 million women and men to Washington, D.C., in support of reproductive rights.^[10]
• In 1992, FMF secured support for the Iowa Equal Rights Amendment and, in 1996, to counter an anti-affirmative action ballot measure in California.
• During 1989-92, the FMF conducted the Feminization of Power campaign,^[11] recruiting an unprecedented number of women to run for public office, resulting in doubling women's representation in the United States Congress in 1992 (the Year of the Woman).

Legislative initiatives

The Feminist Majority has also been a leader in legislative victories for women, including amending the Civil Rights Act of 1991 to provide for monetary damages to women who win sexual harassment and sex discrimination lawsuits in court; winning passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993; the Violence Against Women Act and the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, in 1994; passing the Domestic Violence Offender Gun Ban, in 1996; restoring Title IX, in 1988, and then successfully defending Title IX against Bush administration attempts to weaken the landmark federal law, in 2003, among other victories.^[12] The Feminist Majority continues advocating for U.S. ratification of, both, the United Nations Women's Rights Treaty CEDAW, the Convention to End all forms of Discrimination Against Women) and the International Criminal Court.

See also

• Feminism
• Liberal Feminism
• Equal Rights Amendment

References

External links

• Feminist Majority Foundation online
• Feminist Majority
• Choices Campus Leadership Program
• Ms. Magazine
• National Center for Women and Policing
• Campaign for Afghan Women and Girls
• "Overview of the Feminist Majority Foundation", FMF Campus Program.

See also

Feminism Women Girls Femininity History Social Women's history Feminist history Timeline of women's rights (other than voting) Suffrage Women's suffrage Timeline Timeline, majority-Muslim countries Australia Japan Kuwait New Zealand Switzerland United Kingdom United States General First-wave Second-wave Third-wave Timeline Variants Movements and ideologies (main article) Amazon Analytical Anarchist Atheist Black Chicana Christian Conservative Cultural Cyber Difference Eco Equality Equity Fat French feminism theory French structuralist Gender Global Individualist Islamic Jewish Lesbian Liberal Lipstick Marxist Material Neo New Postcolonial Postmodern Poststructural Pro-life Proto Radical Separatist Sex-positive Socialist Standpoint Third world Trans Transnational Womanism Concepts Movement Theory Girl power Networked feminism Women's rights War on Women Effects on society Feminism in culture Political lesbianism Pro-feminism Anti-feminism Women's health Postfeminism Gender equality Equality Revisionist mythology Male gaze Femicide Theory Gender studies Gender mainstreaming Gynocentrism Matriarchy Women's studies Men's studies Kyriarchy Patriarchy Écriture féminine Economics Ethics Political theory Epistemology Theology Thealogy Sexology Sociology Legal theory Art Literary crit Film theory Political ecology Architecture Anthropology Archaeology Criminology Geography Philosophy Feminist psychology International relations Existentialism Technoscience Science fiction Composition studies By country Women's rights by country Feminists by nationality Canada China Egypt France Germany Greece India Indonesia Iran Ireland Italy Japan Mexico Nepal Netherlands Nicaragua Norway Poland Russia Saudi Arabia Taiwan Ukraine United Kingdom United States feminism U.S. feminist movement U.S. history of women Lists Indexes Articles Feminists Literature Conservative feminisms Ecofeminist authors Feminist economists Feminist rhetoricians Suffragists and suffragettes Women's rights activists Women's suffrage organizations Feminism portal