The Status of Women 1963-2006
Washington State Archives
This collection documents the activities in Washington State to both
examine the status of women in the state and to enact changes to better meet
the needs of the modern woman. The collection consists of four collections from
the Washington State Archives. These collections include:
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The Governor's Commission on the Status of Women, which was created by Governor Albert D. Rosellini in February 1963 to investigate and report on the legal, social, economic and political status of women in Washington State, began the overall process. The Commission issued a report and recommendations in December 1963. It was continued by Governor Daniel J. Evans in 1968, and was dissolved in 1970 when the Interagency Committee on the Status of Women and the Washington State Women's Council were created. In 1978, then Governor Dixy Lee Ray dissolved the Women's Council after a referendum vote of the citizens of Washington favored doing so. |
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Records of the Washington State Women's Council, 1971-1978. The Washington State Women’s Council was created in 1971 by an Executive Order of Governor Daniel H. Evans and tasked with considering “appropriate questions pertaining to the rights and needs of women in contemporary America and to make recommendations to the Governor and state agencies with respect to desirable changes in program and law.” The Council conducted studies, held hearings, proposed legislation, worked with state agencies, and created a handbook on the legal rights of women in Washington State. Its records include correspondence, hearing records, the Women and the Law in Washington State legal handbook, legislation, minutes, newsletter, reports, and subject files. |
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Records of the Washington State Governor’s Interagency Committee of State Employed Women, 1970-2006. The Washington State Interagency Committee on the Status of Women was created in 1970 Governor Daniel H. Evans and charged with determining what actions should be taken to ensure full equality for women in state government and under state law. The Committee served as a support arm to the Washington State Women’s Council until the Council’s demise in 1978. The Committee has also reviewed proposed legislation, published a newsletter, conducted surveys, and sponsored conferences and brown-bag lunch speakers, among many other activities. On November 7, 1989, an Executive Order of Governor Booth Gardner changed the name of the Committee to the Washington State Governor’s Committee on the Status of State Employed Women. Its records include annual and biennial reports, committee records, conference and workshop records, minutes, newsletters and subject files. |
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Documents and Reports on Comparable Worth in the State of Washington, 1964-1995. In recognition of the possibility that women in state government were being paid less for performing similar jobs, in1974 Governor Daniel J. Evans instituted a study of the problem. Subsequent studies revealed that the problem was enormous, but nothing was done to deal with it.
In 1981 the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission, but again no action ensued. In frustration, AFSCME filed suit in U.S. District Court. Judge Tanner ruled that the state was guilty of salary discrimination based on gender, and ordered the state to take action to deal with the situation.
In 1984 the State of Washington appealed the District Court’s decision to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which reversed the lower court’s decision. In the meantime the state and AFSCME had reached an agreement to address the issue. In 1986 the U.S. District Court approved the settlement agreement, and the Washington State Legislature passed legislation which appropriated the funds to implement the changes, with a target date of comparable worth equity by July 1, 1992
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