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From Suffrage to the Senate America's Political Women: An Encyclopedia of Leaders, Causes & Issues

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9to5, National Association of Working Women

Founded in 1973 by Karen Nussbaum and nine other women, 9to5, National Association of Working Women seeks to end workplace discrimination and to help women make the transition from welfare to work. The organization works on several levels, from providing information to working women seeking advice to lobbying state legislatures and Congress.

In 2019, the organization worked under the banner of:

9to5: Women Powering Change!

9to5 members have been on the frontlines, working for economic security for all women—particularly women of color—for the past 45 years. We still have many barriers to overcome before we achieve our vision—full economic equality:

  • Women earn only 80 percent of what men earn on average, and that percentage is far lower for women of color

  • Nearly one in three women are not eligible for paid sick days

  • Housing in most major cities is no longer affordable for working families

Through its Job Survival Hotline, staff members answered as many as 25,000 phone calls a year from women wanting advice on job security, sexual harassment, workers’ rights, maternity leave, and discrimination. Because ending sexual harassment in the workplace is a priority for 9to5, the association’s former director, Ellen Bravo, and Ellen Cassedy wrote The 9to5 Guide to Combating Sexual Harassment: Candid Advice from 9to5, the National Association of Working Women in 1992. The book defines sexual harassment, provides statistics about it, offers advice on how to deal with harassers, and includes information on filing complaints.

9to5’s public policy priorities include tax benefits for family-friendly companies, withholding government contracts from those companies that are not family-friendly, increasing the minimum wage, increasing child care options, and requiring benefits for part-time employees. The organization supported the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, the Civil Rights Act of 1991, the 1990 child care legislation, and state laws on workplace health and safety and sexual harassment.

In 2012, 9to5’s priorities included, according to its website:

  • Winning family-friendly policies to help working people balance responsibilities at home and on the job.

  • Making nonstandard jobs voluntary and equitable so that those who work part-time or as temps receive fair pay and benefits.

  • Eliminating workplace discrimination through educating about legal rights on the job, monitoring enforcement agencies, and expanding anti-discrimination laws.

  • Opposing punitive welfare policies and backing those that allow women to be self sufficient while supporting their families.

The organization inspired the 1980 movie and song “Nine to Five.”

See also: Bravo, Ellen; Child Day Care; Civil Rights Act of 1991; Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993; Nussbaum, Karen; Pay Equity; Sexual Harassment

References: 9to5 National Association of Working Women, http://www.9to5.org (accessed August 8, 2012).

Citation Types

Type
Format
MLA 9th
"N." From Suffrage to the Senate America's Political Women: An Encyclopedia of Leaders, Causes & Issues, edited by Suzanne O’Dea, Salem Press, 2019. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=Suffrage3e_0665.
APA 7th
N. From Suffrage to the Senate America's Political Women: An Encyclopedia of Leaders, Causes & Issues, In S. O’Dea (Ed.), Salem Press, 2019. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=Suffrage3e_0665.
CMOS 17th
"N." From Suffrage to the Senate America's Political Women: An Encyclopedia of Leaders, Causes & Issues, Edited by Suzanne O’Dea. Salem Press, 2019. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=Suffrage3e_0665.