1973

In February 1973, a small group of women gathered to discuss forming an organization that would take action to end discrimination against women and improve working conditions in downtown Chicago. At that time, the average woman working in the Loop earned just $5,268 per year, while the average man earned $13,153 per year, although education levels for men and women in Chicago were roughly equal.

None of the founders could have envisioned the changes that would eventually be realized—nor the role Women Employed would go on to play.

1974

This 1974 convention was the first of many, where hundreds of working women in Chicago’s Loop had the chance to air their employment concerns, debate strategies for making progress against discrimination in their workplaces, and vote on plans of action.

The action plans endorsed at these conventions shaped Women Employed’s work and led to ground-breaking victories for women working in banking, insurance, and other major industries, including pay raises and promotions.

1975

In 1975, Women Employed held an accountability session with Alexander White, Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Labor, to discuss the department’s failure to enforce equal opportunity requirements. Nancy Kreiter, chair of the WE Banking Committee and later WE Research Director, presented an overview of the evidence of discriminatory practices in major industries.

WE demanded that White fulfill his responsibilities, which resulted in investigations and increased enforcement of affirmative action requirements.

1976

Throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s, Women Employed worked to organize secretaries in downtown Chicago to demand better treatment. Despite their high levels of skill and education, secretaries were often treated disrespectfully, paid scandalously low wages, and barred from opportunities for advancement.

In 1975, Women Employed drafted a Secretaries’ Bill of Rights, in an attempt to bring dignity and fairness to these jobs. In 1976 on Secretaries’ Day, we raised awareness and invited secretaries to participate, handing out colorful balloons that demanded “Rights AND Roses.”

1977

Women office workers were often required to make coffee, run errands, or balance a boss’ personal checkbook, even though these duties were not in their job descriptions. Insisting on dignity and respect, Women Employed asserted in its leaflets that “A secretary is not a hostess, a waitress or the boss’ personal errand girl.”

In 1977, secretary Iris Rivera was fired for refusing to make coffee for the attorneys she worked for. Women Employed responded by bringing 50 women to her office to stage a coffee-making lesson for the lawyers, complete with instructions (“Step 5: Turn on the switch.”) The demonstration made the front page of the paper—and won reinstatement for Rivera. Employers responded to the negative publicity and the anger of women workers, and these disrespectful practices quickly began to disappear.

1979

Women Employed’s earliest publications were aimed at building awareness of the issues, raising funds, and increasing activism among the Loop’s working women. WE published the first-ever research reports on women’s employment status in Chicago, distributed a steno pad (yes, for taking shorthand) that included our Secretaries’ Bill of Rights on the inside cover, and compiled and sold a cookbook with easy recipes for the working woman.

We also passed out pins at events in the Loop, helping to raise awareness of the organization among Chicago’s working women, building membership and increasing support for our work.

1980

In the 1980’s, Women Employed began publicizing the wage gap as a way to focus attention on the problem of unequal pay. At the time, on average, women made only 59 cents to a man’s dollar. To launch a campaign to close the gap, we held a national meeting chaired by Willard Wirtz, Secretary of Labor in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, to present policy solutions. Although we’ve made major progress—today women earn 77 cents to a man’s dollar—we are still fighting for fair pay today.

1984

Beginning in 1977 and continuing into the 1990’s, Women Employed held an annual walkathon in Lincoln Park to bring friends and families together to raise awareness of working women’s issues and raise funds for the organization. Each year, hundreds of supporters gathered in Chicago’s Lincoln Park and raised tens of thousands of dollars for the organization.

1985

During the 1980’s, Women Employed did pioneering work to focus attention on issues facing working mothers. “Recommended Corporate Policies for Working Mothers/Parents” was a first-ever set of guidelines for employers on how to implement policies that respected work-life balance.

A companion publication, “Helpful Hints for the New Working Mother,” provided working moms with advice on how to handle common problems, like how to negotiate with supervisors to be able to check on children returning home from school when company policy prohibited personal phone calls. Other publications helped women understand their rights on the job and raised awareness of the need to change policies to accommodate the changing workforce.

1987

In 1987, Women Employed held our first fundraising luncheon, a tradition that continues to this day. U.S. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton delivered the keynote address, and she was introduced by her longtime friend and colleague, Chicago Mayor Harold Washington. At the time, Norton was a professor at Georgetown University Law Center, after four years as Chair of the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission where she broke new ground on sexual harassment and other critical issues.

1992

Women Employed has a long history of partnering with community-based and human services organizations to advocate for adequate funding for safety net programs to assist Illinois’ neediest residents. At this 1992 rally, we protested proposed budget cuts that would have weakened essential supports and harmed women and families.

1993

Women Employed played an integral role in winning passage of the Family Medical Leave Act, which was signed in 1993. It was a historic and groundbreaking victory for working parents and their families. For the first time, workers could take a leave of absence for the birth of a child, for medical reasons, or to care for a sick family member without fear of losing their jobs.

In 2000, we testified in front of an Illinois House committee about the need to expand the law to provide paid leave, so that low-paid women and men could make use of the law (pictured at left).

1994

It’s hard to believe now, but in 1994, many employers had no policies in place to prevent sexual harassment or respond when it happened. Women Employed published research showing the pervasiveness of the problem and launched a training project, Working Partnerships, to help companies draft anti-harassment policies and train their employees.

In the 1990’s, to increase access to education and training leading to good jobs, Women Employed focused on technical occupations, like environmental technicians, auto and HVAC repair, and electronics. Our 1997 guide helped women learn about good technical careers and about Chicago-area programs that could provide women with high-quality training.

1996

In the 1980’s Women Employed developed and launched programs to combat the causes of female poverty, one of which is early pregnancy. We focused on providing girls in low-income communities with life planning and career exploration activities to help them envision alternatives. In the 1990’s, building on what we learned, we established Career Links, which brought together hundreds of girls from Chicago's low-income communities with professional women who provided career-related guidance and support.

The career exploration and mentoring that these 1996 Career Links graduates received helped many of them go on to college and good careers.

2001

The steep cost of child care keeps too many low-income moms from pursuing a degree. In 2001, WE won a major victory for student mothers, leading a successful effort to win $27 million in subsidies for low-income working parents enrolled in education and training programs.

2003

We've made huge gains since we began our campaign to fight the wage gap in 1980—the gap has shrunk from 41 cents on the dollar to 23 cents. In 2003, Women Employed cleared a major hurdle on the way to wage equality, helping to pass the Illinois Equal Pay Act, which is aimed at securing fair pay for hundreds of thousands of Illinois women not covered under the federal law.

But the wage gap is still a major problem for women workers, costing a woman as much as $1 million over her lifetime. So every year, Women Employed leads activities on Equal Pay Day. We also play a leadership role in winning policy advances to ensure fairness such as 2009's Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

2004

In Illinois, 80 percent of low-wage workers do not receive paid sick days. When these workers or their children get sick, staying home means losing a paycheck or even a job.

In 2004, Women Employed launched the Illinois Paid Leave Coalition—over 70 organizations working together to pass a law to guarantee paid sick days for Illinois workers. We hosted town hall meetings across Illinois collecting stories from women who don’t have sick days, which we shared with Illinois’ legislators to build bi-partisan support. We’re also partnering with organizations across the country to push for a federal law to enable every worker to earn sick time.

2006

Young women leaders hold the keys to the future. That’s why in 2006, Women Employed started the Summer Leadership Program, an eight-week internship program that gives young women the tools they need to become leaders and advocates. Interns learn about issues affecting working women and discover how to transform passion about an issue into impact. They also gain practical experience for future careers in social justice work.

Alumnae have gone on to work at community-based organizations, pursue graduate study in public interest fields, and join the Women Employed staff.

2009

In 2009, WE launched Student Advocates for Success (SAS) to organize community college students across Illinois to advocate for the financial aid they need to stay in school and reach their educational and career goals.

SAS members have fought to protect funding for the Monetary Award Program (MAP)—an Illinois need-based grant program that serves 300,000 students a year. Our students have been interviewed by the media, they’ve gone to Springfield, and in 2012, they wrote 1,700 letters to Illinois’ leaders. Legislators listened and made MAP a priority. WE won major increases in MAP funding to meet growing student needs. Today, during the state’s budget crisis, we are defending the program from deep cuts.

2011

For the last 25 years, The Working Lunch has been bringing together activists, community leaders, and friends to focus on women’s economic issues. The annual luncheon is a great opportunity for people to connect with each other, learn about the issues, and find out how they can make a difference.

Each year, an amazing speaker fires up the audience and inspires them to get involved and make change happen. The tradition started in 1987 with Mayor Harold Washington and U.S. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, and continues to this day, with recent luncheons featuring Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington (2008), fair pay advocate Lilly Ledbetter (2009), and CNN commentator Donna Brazile (2011).

2012

Forty years after a group of women banded together to fight workplace injustice in Chicago’s Loop, Women Employed’s commitment to improve life for working women remains strong.

While our hard-won victories have opened doors for women and changed the workplace for the better, too many women are still working in low-paying jobs with little opportunity for advancement. Our recent publications focus on conditions for low-wage workers and what we can do to make all jobs good jobs, as well as how we can best help working women to juggle family responsibilities, return to school, graduate, and move into family-supporting careers.

40 Years of Impact

Women Employed turns 40 this year, and we're spending all of 2013 celebrating four decades of opening doors, breaking barriers, and creating fairer workplaces for women. Join us!

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