Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW) is a now-defunct feminist advocacy organization that was based in Washington, D.C. and offered employment preparedness programming for women. ¹ It also published Women’s Work, which promoted feminist ideas including that men will oppress women when given the opportunity and that “rebellion” is necessary to secure liberties for women. ²

Background

Wider Opportunities for Women was founded in 1964 by Mary Janney and Jane Fleming after Janney left teaching and was seeking new employment. Janney and Fleming wrote a book that provided guidance for women seeking employment and subsequently opened a walk-in center that was originally named Washington Opportunities for Women based in Washington, D.C. The center eventually expanded to a national network called the Women’s Workforce Network that coordinated volunteer groups to provide employment preparation for women. ¹

Early in its history, WOW was reported to target “non-traditional” employment in its jobs training programs for women, defined as jobs in which women had lower participation rates and that had greater opportunities for upward mobility. It also targeted jobs associated with environmentalism and created job preparation programs in partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor, labor unions, and select companies to help match women with environmentalist jobs. ³

Programs

Women’s Work

Women’s Work was a feminist publication created by Wider Opportunities for Women in 1965 to support WOW’s job preparation programming. It was available in newsstands in Washington, D.C. and distributed nationally. ⁴

The publication included commentary on the participation of women in politics, celebrating women’s history as well as advocating for increased participation. It explicitly advocated feminism, outlining how prominent women such as former First Ladies Betty Ford and Abigail Adams were feminist leaders. In a January 1975 publication celebrating Adams’s work as a feminist, it included a quote that stated: ²

Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could. If perticular [sic] care and attention is not paid to the Laidies [sic] we are determined to foment a rebellion and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice or Representation. ²

Elder Economic Security Initiative

WOW partnered with the University of Massachusetts (UMASS) to create the Elder Economic Security Initiative, which included state-level campaigns that tracked the ability of senior citizens to be able to keep up with the cost of living. WOW co-founder and executive director Joan Kuriansky reported that the program was created as women were more likely to live longer than men and thus live alone as senior citizens, increasing the likelihood that they could be at risk of financial insecurity. ³

Leadership

Joan Kuriansky worked as the executive director of WOW from 2001 to 2011. ¹ Kuriansky also founded My Sister’s Place, a legal center in Philadelphia that served female victims of domestic violence. She also served as a volunteer with the Advocates for Human Rights, working with foreign countries and the United Nations to advocate on domestic violence issues. ⁵

1. Schudel, Matt. “Mary Janney, 91; helped launch women’s career resources group. October 18, 2012. Boston.com. https://www.boston.com/news/national-news/2012/10/18/mary-janney-91-helped-launch-womens-career-resources-group/.
2. “Women’s Work Celebrates the Bicentennial: From Abigail Adams to Betty Ford.” Women’s Work. Gerald Ford Presidential Library. January and February 1975. https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/sites/default/files/pdf_documents/library/document/0126/1489991.pdf
3. Waxman, Judy. “Interview with Joan Kuriansky.” Veteran Feminists of America, inc. July, 2020. https://veteranfeministsofamerica.org/interview-joan-kuriansky/.
4. Homet, Meredith. Letter to Frederick Rent and Donalds Rumsfield. Gerald Ford Presidential Library. October 17, 1975. https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/sites/default/files/pdf_documents/library/document/0126/1489991.pdf.
5. Schulman, Jenna. “Joan Kuriansky: Celebrating the Work of Our Volunteers.” The Advocates for Human Rights. May 28, 2020. https://www.theadvocatesforhumanrights.org/News/A/Index?id=22