Ohio National Organization for Women

Last updated

The Ohio National Organization for Women (Ohio NOW) was formed in April 1972 in order to more easily connect the Ohio chapters to the National Organization. [1] Ohio NOW has 9 total chapters located in Akron, Ashtabula, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Oberlin, Port Clinton, and Toledo. The National Organization for Women is a non-partisan, non-profit organization funded by private donations and membership dues.

Contents

Goals

The Ohio NOW chapter focuses on six main issues: reproductive rights, ending sex discrimination/constitutional equality, promoting diversity and ending racism, economic justice, stopping violence against women, and lesbian rights including marriage equality. [2]

Priorities

Specific issues that have been or are currently a focus of the Ohio National Organization for Women.

Abortion

Access to safe abortions in Ohio is becoming increasingly difficult due to Ohio abortion laws and the attempts to close many of Ohio's abortion clinics.

Ohio NOW is working towards keeping the Center for Choice abortion clinic open in Toledo by attempting to find a transfer clinic for the center's patients. [3]

Campus Sexual Assault

The organization works with Changing Campus Culture, an initiative started by the Ohio Department of Higher Education, to help prevent and respond to sexual violence occurring on state campuses. The initiative received $2 million from the state budget to focus on individual campus needs, training programs, and individual grants. The initiative seeks to prevent sexual violence based on received input from campus presidents, advocacy groups, and community experts in order to create recommended practices.

Recommendations

  1. Use data to guide action.
  2. Empower staff, faculty, campus law enforcement and students to prevent and respond to sexual violence through evidence-based training.
  3. Communicate a culture of shared respect and responsibility.
  4. Develop a comprehensive response policy.
  5. Adopt a survivor-centered response. [4]

Equal Pay

Ohio NOW and the National branch work with the Department of Labor to decrease the pay gap between men and women. On average, full-time working women earn just 78 cents for every dollar a man earns. [5]

Ohio Equal Pay Act

Ohio State Rep. Kathleen Clyde (D-Kent) and Rep. Stephanie Howse (D-Cleveland) introduced House Bill 330 in September, aiming to eliminate pay disparities for women. The Bill addresses causes of the pay gap and is divided into three components:

  1. Requires state and local governments to determine the value of comparable work across job categories and to eliminate lower pay that is sometimes associated with "women work." Value of the work is measured across job categories as a composite of the skill, effort, responsibility, and working conditions normally required in the performance of the work.
  2. Requires businesses that receive state contracts or state economic incentive funds to be certified with an Equal Pay Certificate indicating that women employees at the company have access to the same opportunities and pay as their male counterparts as well as information from the company about how their salaries compare with male employees.
  3. Prohibits retaliation against employees in any employment actions—such as hiring, firing and promotion decisions for sharing salary information amongst themselves. [6]

Steubenville High School

The Ohio NOW organization was on the forefront of the Steubenville High School rape case. Ohio NOW collected signatures to continue the investigation to bring justice to the student who was raped, and protested in Columbus for charges to be brought against the individuals responsible for the rape [7]

NOW Equality PAC

NOW Equality PAC (NEP) works at a more local level, as many state and local NOW chapters have political action committees that can support candidates for state, county and city offices, from governors to school board members.

Presidents

Ronnie Rosen 1972

Janet Burnside 1973

Judith Sidwell 1973-1974

Lana Moresky 1974-1975

Debra Hart 1975-1976

Eva Janecek 1976-1977

Maryann Barrett Baker 1977-1979

Linda Furney 1979-1981

Joan Rourke 1981-1983

Kathy Helmbock 1983-1985

Phyllis Carlson-Riehm 1985-1988,1990-1992

Joyce Barolak 1988-1990

Betsy Marshall 1992-1996

Jacqueline Hillyer 1996-2000, 2010-2013

Diane Dodge 2000-2004, 2006-2010

Susan Bader 2004-2006, 2014-2014

Anita Rios 2013-2014, 2014–present

[8]

Related Research Articles

Womens rights Rights claimed for women and girls worldwide

Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behavior, whereas in others, they are ignored and suppressed. They differ from broader notions of human rights through claims of an inherent historical and traditional bias against the exercise of rights by women and girls, in favor of men and boys.

Reproductive rights are legal rights and freedoms relating to reproduction and reproductive health that vary amongst countries around the world. The World Health Organization defines reproductive rights as follows:

Reproductive rights rest on the recognition of the basic right of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children and to have the information and means to do so, and the right to attain the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health. They also include the right of all to make decisions concerning reproduction free of discrimination, coercion and violence.

Gender equality Equal access for all genders to rights, resources, opportunities and protections

Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing different behaviors, aspirations and needs equally, regardless of gender.

Feminists for Life

Feminists for Life of America (FFL) is a non-profit, anti-abortion feminist, non-governmental organization (NGO). Established in 1972, and now based in Alexandria, Virginia, the organization describes itself as "shaped by the core feminist values of justice, non-discrimination, and non-violence". FFL publishes a biannual magazine, The American Feminist, and aims to reach young women, college students in particular.

Equality Now is a non-governmental organization founded in 1992 to advocate for the protection and promotion of the human rights of women and girls. Through a combination of regional partnerships, community mobilization and legal advocacy the organization works to encourage governments to adopt, improve and enforce laws that protect and promote women and girls' rights around the world.

National Organization for Women American feminist organization

The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization founded in 1966. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. It is the largest feminist organization in the United States with around 500,000 members. NOW is regarded as one of the main liberal feminist organizations in the US, and primarily lobbies for gender equality within the existing political system.

Timeline of women's legal rights represents formal changes and reforms regarding women's rights. The changes include actual law reforms as well as other formal changes, such as reforms through new interpretations of laws by precedents. For such things only in the United States, see Timeline of women's legal rights in the United States. The right to vote is exempted from the timeline: for that right, see Timeline of women's suffrage. The timeline excludes ideological changes and events within feminism and antifeminism: for that, see Timeline of feminism.

Women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Overview of the status of women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have not attained a position of full equality with men, with their struggle continuing to this day. Although the Mobutu regime paid lip service to the important role of women in society, and although women enjoy some legal rights, custom and legal constraints still limit their opportunities.

The Ohio Legislative Black Caucus (OLBC), formally known as the Black Elected Democrats of Ohio, is an American political organization now composed of African Americans elected to the Ohio General Assembly. The Ohio Legislative Black Caucus is the oldest legislative black caucus in the nation.

Nancy Schwartzman

Nancy Schwartzman is an American director, producer and media strategist.

The Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) is a non-profit organization headquartered in Arlington County, Virginia, whose stated mission is to advance non-violence and women's power, equality, and economic development. 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 one of the founders, Eleanor Smeal, chose the name to reflect the results of the poll, implying that the majority of women are feminists.

Frank LaRose Ohio Secretary of State

Frank LaRose is an American politician. He is Ohio's secretary of state after serving two terms as a Republican member of the Ohio State Senate from Ohio's 27th Senate district which includes Wayne County as well as portions of Stark and Summit counties.

War on women is a slogan in United States politics used to describe certain Republican Party policies and legislation as a wide-scale effort to restrict women's rights, especially reproductive rights. Prominent Democrats such as Nancy Pelosi and Barbara Boxer, as well as feminists, have used the phrase to criticize proponents of these laws as trying to force their social views on women through legislation. The slogan has been used to describe Republican policies in areas such as access to reproductive health services, particularly birth control and abortion services; the definition of rape for the purpose of the public funding of abortion; the prosecution of criminal violence against women; and workplace discrimination against women.

The Steubenville High School rape occurred in Steubenville, Ohio on the night of August 11, 2012, when a high school girl, incapacitated by alcohol, was publicly and repeatedly sexually assaulted by her peers, several of whom documented the acts on social media. The victim was transported, undressed, photographed, and sexually assaulted. She was also penetrated vaginally by other students' fingers, an act defined as rape under Ohio law.

Women in Trinidad and Tobago Overview of the status of women in Trinidad and Tobago

Women in Trinidad and Tobago are women who were born in, who live in, or are from Trinidad and Tobago. Depending from which island the women came, they may also be called Trinidadian women or Tobagonian women respectively. Women in Trinidad and Tobago excel in various industries and occupations, including micro-enterprise owners, "lawyers, judges, politicians, civil servants, journalists, and calypsonians." Women still dominate the fields of "domestic service, sales, and some light manufacturing."

Timeline of women's legal rights in the United States represents formal legal changes and reforms regarding women's rights in the United States. That includes actual law reforms as well as other formal changes, such as reforms through new interpretations of laws by precedents. For such things outside as well as in the United States, see Timeline of women's legal rights. The right to vote is exempted from the timeline: for that right, see Timeline of women's suffrage in the United States. The timeline also excludes ideological changes and events within feminism and antifeminism: for that, see Timeline of feminism in the United States.

Sharon E. Barker is a Canadian-American women's rights activist, women's health advocate, and feminist. She is the founding director of the Women's Resource Center at the University of Maine and one of the founders and first president of the Mabel Sine Wadsworth Women's Health Center in Bangor. For over 30 years she has advocated for women and girls in the areas of health care, gender equality, sexual assault, and reproductive rights. She was inducted into the Maine Women's Hall of Fame in 2009.

The Global Justice Center (GJC) is an international human rights and humanitarian law organization aiming to advance gender equality by helping to implement and enforce human rights laws. Headquartered in New York City and led by Akila Radhakrishnan, the GJC is a member of the United Nations NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security. The GJC works with national and international Non-governmental organizations, the United Nations, the International Criminal Court, and others to effect change.

Abortion in Ohio is legal until a fetal heartbeat is detectable, except in the city of Lebanon, Ohio, where abortion at all stages of pregnancy has been outlawed by local ordinance. Mason, Ohio, also banned abortion at all stages, but its ordinance was later repealed.

References

  1. ↑ "Ohio National Organization for Women". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
  2. ↑ "LGBT Directory Listing :: Ohio National Organization for Women :: Cleveland :: Local Non-Profit Groups". www.lgbtcleveland.org. Retrieved 2015-10-20.
  3. ↑ "CLOSING DOORS IN OHIO | OHIO NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN". ohionow.org. Retrieved 2015-10-13.
  4. ↑ "Changing Campus Culture: Background | Ohio Higher Ed". www.ohiohighered.org. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  5. ↑ "Did You Know That Women Are Still Paid Less Than Men?". whitehouse.gov . Retrieved 2015-11-10– via National Archives.
  6. ↑ "Reps. Clyde, Howse Introduce The Ohio Equal Pay Act | Representative Kathleen Clyde (D) | The Ohio House of Representatives". www.ohiohouse.gov. Retrieved 2015-12-01.
  7. ↑ "Women's Group Protests Lack Of Charges Related To Steubenville Rape Case YouTube Video". WBNS-10TV Columbus, Ohio. Retrieved 2015-10-21.
  8. ↑ "OFFICERS | OHIO NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN". ohionow.org. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.