The Feminist Majority Foundation
The Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) is a non-profit organization headquartered in Arlington County, Virginia, USA, whose stated mission is to oppose violence, empower women, support gender equality and economic development. The name “Feminist Majority” was coined after a 1986 poll conducted by Newsweek magazine and Gallup America in which 56% of American women identified themselves as feminists. The president, and one of the founders, Eleanor Smeal, chose this name for the organization to reflect the results of the survey, implying that most women are feminists.
History and Structure
The Feminist Majority Foundation is a scholarly and educational organization and publisher of Miss Magazine. The organization was founded in 1987 by Eleanor Smeal, Peg Yorkin, Catherine Spillar, Toni Carabillo, and Judith Meuli. The Feminist Majority Foundation began publishing Miss Magazine in 2001, supporting the magazine in becoming a nonprofit organization.
Goals and Principles
The Feminist Majority Foundation is dedicated to the reproductive rights and health of women in the United States and elsewhere.
The main principles and goals of the organization are:
- Combating all forms of violence against women.
- Supporting access to safe and legal abortion, contraception; Medicaid funding and access for minors, the poor and immigrant women.
- Support for the rights of LGBT, intersex, queer, and gender-nonconforming people.
- Eliminating gender and racial disparities in the judicial system.
- Achieving equal civil rights for blacks and women through affirmative action equalization.
The Foundation actively opposes all forms of discrimination based on sex, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity, race, socioeconomic status, age, religion, ethnicity, marital status, national origin, and physical ability.
The Foundation implements the following programs and sets of activities:
- National Clinic Access Project;
- Campaign for Women’s Health;
- Prochoice Campus Leadership Program (at colleges and universities);
- Global Campaign for Reproductive Rights;
- Campaign for Afghan Women and Girls;
- Emergency contraception program;
- National Center for Women;
- Equal Rights in Education Program;
- Mifepristone Accessibility;
- Rock for Choice benefit concerts.
Organizational schedule
- During 1989-1992, the Feminist Majority Foundation ran the Feminizing Power campaign, recruiting an unprecedented number of women for nomination to U.S. government positions. This program led to a doubling of the number of women in the U.S. Congress in 1992.
- In 1992 the foundation supported the Iowa Equal Rights Amendment, and in 1996 it helped oppose an initiative against reverse discrimination in California.
- In 2004, the Feminist Majority Foundation was one of five major organizers of the March for Women’s Lives protest, which drew more than 1.15 million women and men to Washington D.C. to support reproductive rights.
- In 2006, the foundation sought to repeal Michigan’s ballot measure (Michigan Citizen’s Initiative for Human Rights), which prohibits discrimination or preference (including positive discrimination) based on race, gender, and other characteristics, including admissions to educational institutions. The measure was passed in 2006; after several trials, it was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2014.
- That same year, the foundation failed to pass a ballot initiative in South Dakota to overturn the state ban on abortion.
- On March 23-24, 2013, the foundation held its 9th annual National Feminist Leadership Conference in Arlington, Virginia. The conference featured speakers such as: Dolores Huerta (president of the Dolores Huerta Foundation and co-founder of United Farm Workers), Morgana Richardson (founder of Refuse The Silence), Monica Simpson (executive director of Sister Song), Ivanna Gonzalez.
Legislation
The Feminist Majority Foundation has also been a leader in legislative victories for women, including the amendment of the “Civil Rights Act of 1991” to provide financial damages for women who win sexual harassment and sex discrimination lawsuits in court; the creation of the “Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993”; the “Violence Against Women Act” and the “Free Clinic Visitors Act”; the 1996 gun ban for domestic violence perpetrators; the restoration of I Currently, the Feminist Majority Foundation continues to advocate for U.S. ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
Controversy
Despite statements against all forms of violence, the IMF endorsed the war in Afghanistan on the grounds that the measure would help protect and liberate Afghan women, a position that has been criticized by some, including American politician Tom Hayden.
