The brand new National Organization for Women set up seven task forces in 1966. Among them was the Task Force on Equal Opportunity in Employment. This task force sought to eliminate sex discrimination in employment.
The employment task force declared 14 goals in a 1967 statement. The overall objective was a campaign for “rigorous enforcement” of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Some of the goals were achieved soon; others faced years of struggle. Here is a list of those initial goals of the Task Force on Equal Opportunity in Employment, as outlind by task force chair Dorothy Haener:
- Amendment of Executive Order 11246 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex in government employment
- Assistance to women who bring sex discrimination complaints, under federal and state law
- Enactment of the model states civil rights act
- Re-examination of states’ protective legislation that limits women in the workplace, replacing such laws with laws that protect men and women, if any “protections” are needed.
- Assistance to women in any industry or profession to help them protest discriminatory policies and open “avenues of advancement,” such as corporate presidencies, full professorships and union leadership
- Upgrading and on-the-job-training for women stuck in pink-collar jobs
- Elimination of maternity discrimination, meaning paid maternity leave and a woman's right to return to her job
- Income tax deduction of child care expenses for working parents
- A campaign against age discrimination, which seriously hinders women who reenter the labor market after raising children
- Enactment of equal pay legislation for all public and private employment
- Enactment of a model state labor standards law to promote health and well being of all workers
- Appointment to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission of people committed to fully enforcing Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and prohibiting discrimination
- Prohibition of sex-segregated job advertisements (or want ads)
- Federal legislation that strengthens EEOC authority and prohibits discrimination while promoting equal employment opportunity in both public and private employment.
Some of these goals of the Task Force on Equal Opportunity of Employment have been met. Some of the sex discrimination may seem antiquated, such as “Help Wanted – Male” and “Help Wanted – Female” ads. Some of the legislation has become part of the framework of U.S. society. Feminists of the 1960s and 1970s accomplished a great deal for women in the workplace. Later feminists continue to work for and achieve results for new generations of women.