History Of Business and Professional Women
The Foundation of a Legacy
While mobilizing for World War I, the U.S. Government recognized the need for a cohesive group to coordinate identification of women's available skills and experience. A Women's War Council, financed through a federal grant, was established by the War Department to organize the resources of professional women. The Wisconsin Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs was founded in 1921.
Throughout the years, three major issues shaped BPW's legislative agenda: elimination of sex discrimination in employment, the principle of equal pay, and the need for a comprehensive equal rights amendment.
1920s
"BPW Goodwill Tour" of Europe initiated the founding of the International BPW Federation. With the theme, "Better Business Women for a Better Business World,"
1930s
BPW worked to prohibit legislation or directives denying jobs to married women. BPW lobbied successfully to legislatively end the legal practice of workplace preference for unmarried persons and, in the case of married persons, preference for males.
1940s
At the advent of World War II, BPW developed a classification system for women with specialized skills critical to the effort and supported the formation of women's branches of the Armed Forces. While wage discrimination has existed in the U.S. since women and minorities first entered the paid workforce, its prevalence was not felt until the massive influx of women sought work during World War II. Immediately following the war, the Women's Pay Act of 1945 - the first ever legislation to require equal pay - was introduced in the U.S. Congress. It would take another 18 years before an equal pay bill would make it to the President's desk to be signed into law.
1960s
The establishment of "Status of Women" commissions in the U.S. in 1963 was due largely to BPW efforts. President Kennedy recognized BPW's leading role in securing passage of the Equal Pay Act by giving BPW's National President the first pen he used when signing the Act into law.
1970s
BPW intensified efforts to eliminate discrimination based on sex and marital status in credit, capital, and insurance practices.
1980s
BPW tackled "comparable worth" by calling for newspapers to stop the occupational segregation in classified ads (clustering of women in a few restricted occupations of low-paying, dead-end jobs). Numerous state and municipal governments revamped their pay scales, recognizing dissimilar jobs may not be identical, but may be comprised of tasks, educational requirements, experience and other characteristics that are equivalent or comparable. In 1986, San Francisco became the first in the nation to approve a pay equity referendum, implementing $34 million in increases for employees in female and minority-dominated jobs.
Continuing with BPW's focus on workplace issues, BPW lobbied Congress for passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act. After nearly a decade, the FMLA passes in 1993.
1990s
Discussions on "comparable worth" are expanded to include enforcement and strengthening of existing Equal Pay legislation. The Pay Equity Employment Act of 1994, followed by the Equal Pay Act (introduced in 1994) and the Paycheck Fairness Act (introduced in 1997) became BPW's focus legislation through the '90s.
Workplace equity issues including sexual harassment, the glass ceiling, health care reform, dependent care, tort reform, increasing the minimum wage, lifetime economic security and pay equity continued to be BPW's targeted issues. Then-Secretary of Labor, Elizabeth Dole, and First Lady Barbara Bush addressed BPW's members at the White House Briefing during the 1990 "Lobby Day" event.
BPW's grassroots membership worked as never before in GOTV (Get Out The Vote!) campaigns. From voter education forums, working in candidate campaigns, fundraising for candidates and registering women to vote, 1992 proved to be the "Year of the Woman," electing a record 4 women to the U.S. Senate and an unprecedented 24 women to the House. This political activism continued to the 1996 elections where BPW joined other women's groups endorsing the Women's Vote Project.
Social Security Reform became a front-burner issue for BPW in 1999 and continues to be an issue BPW follows closely. The wage gap contributes to a $200,000 loss in social security benefits to the average woman.
2000s
BPW expanded its '90s "Making Workplaces Work" initiative to the "Working Family Values" Program, and more recently, the theme of "Workplace Equity & Work-life Balance," with education and awareness, focusing on pay equity, dependent care, workplace flexibility, and social security reform.
2010s
In June of 2009, WI Governor Jim Doyle signed the Wisconsin Act 20 - Equal Pay Enforcement Act - into law. BPW/WI members had advocated for this legislation for over nine years and were honered to be in attendance for the bill signing.
In July of 2009, the National BPW Federation merged with the BPW Foundation. The BPW Foundation presented state and local organizations with a licensing agreement which required a per-member fee be paid for use of BPW branding and programming. The BPW/WI Executive Committee polled the membership for an advisory vote on whether or not to sign this agreement. A majority of members responding voted against signing the licensing agreement and the Executive Committee followed their direction. A transition Task Force was formed to evaluate the mission, vision, priorities, and name of the state federation. The Task Force presented their recommendations during the February 2010 Winter Development Conference. The voting bodies approved the Wisconsin Business and Professional Women adding a "doing business as (DBA)" of Wisconsin Women's Alliance. While the DBA will be part of the legal name, WWA will be used as the name to market the organization.