---
title: "National Organization for Women — AP Gov Definition"
description: "NOW is the AP Gov CED's example of the women's rights movement using the equal protection clause. Founded 1966, it pushed Title VII enforcement and the ERA."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/ap-gov/key-terms/national-organization-for-women"
type: "key-term"
subject: "AP US Government"
unit: "Unit 3"
---

# National Organization for Women — AP Gov Definition

## Definition

The National Organization for Women (NOW), founded in 1966, is the AP Gov CED's named example of a group using the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause to fight sex-based discrimination, pushing enforcement of civil rights laws and backing the Equal Rights Amendment.

## What It Is

The National Organization for Women (NOW) was founded in 1966 by activists including Betty Friedan who were frustrated that the government wasn't enforcing the sex-discrimination provisions of the [Civil Rights Act of 1964](/ap-gov/key-terms/civil-rights-act-of-1964 "fv-autolink"). NOW's strategy was to treat sex discrimination the way the civil rights movement treated race discrimination, as a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause that courts and [Congress](/ap-gov/unit-1/principles-american-government/study-guide/BXlQvFOiaKwhntWYhgKP "fv-autolink") had to fix.

In the [AP Gov](/ap-gov "fv-autolink") CED, NOW shows up by name in Topic 3.10 as required evidence of how constitutional provisions support and motivate social movements. It sits right alongside Dr. King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" as a parallel example. NOW lobbied for the Equal Rights Amendment, pushed agencies to actually enforce Title VII's ban on employment discrimination, and supported litigation that asked the Supreme Court to apply equal protection to sex (a strategy that paid off in *Reed v. Reed* in 1971, the first time the Court struck down a law for discriminating based on sex).

## Why It Matters

NOW lives in [Unit 3](/ap-gov/unit-3 "fv-autolink") (Civil Liberties and Civil Rights), Topic 3.10, and supports learning objective 3.10.A, which asks you to explain how constitutional provisions have supported and motivated social movements. The essential knowledge for that objective literally lists NOW as one of its examples, so the College Board expects you to know it by name. The bigger idea NOW illustrates is that the [equal protection clause](/ap-gov/key-terms/equal-protection-clause "fv-autolink") isn't just a line of text. It's a tool that movements grab onto. The civil rights movement used it against race discrimination, NOW used it against sex discrimination, and LGBTQ advocates used it later. If you can explain that pattern with NOW as your evidence, you've nailed the core skill of Topic 3.10.

## Connections

### [Reed v. Reed (Unit 3)](/ap-gov/key-terms/reed-v-reed)

[Reed v. Reed](/ap-gov/key-terms/reed-v-reed "fv-autolink") (1971) is the courtroom payoff of NOW's strategy. It was the first Supreme Court case to strike down a law for sex discrimination under the equal protection clause, proving the Fourteenth Amendment could work for women, not just racial minorities.

### [Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Unit 3)](/ap-gov/key-terms/civil-rights-act-of-1964)

Title VII of this act banned employment discrimination based on sex, but enforcement was weak. NOW was founded largely to force the government to take Title VII seriously, which shows how a law on paper still needs [interest groups](/ap-gov/unit-5 "fv-autolink") pushing for it to mean anything.

### [Brown v. Board of Education (Unit 3)](/ap-gov/key-terms/brown-v-board-of-education)

Brown showed that equal protection [litigation](/ap-gov/key-terms/litigation "fv-autolink") could dismantle discriminatory law. NOW borrowed that playbook directly, running the NAACP-style legal strategy with sex instead of race as the protected characteristic.

### [Political Representation (Unit 5 connections)](/ap-gov/key-terms/political-representation)

NOW is also a classic interest group. It links Unit 3's equal protection content to how organized groups use lobbying, litigation, and electoral pressure to turn movement energy into policy.

## On the AP Exam

NOW is a name-the-evidence term. Multiple-choice questions ask things like which organization advanced women's rights through the equal protection clause, what NOW's primary goal was, or which Supreme Court case (Reed v. Reed) shaped its legal strategy. Another common stem asks how NOW's approach differed from earlier women's rights groups, and the answer is its focus on litigation and enforcement of existing civil rights law rather than just winning the vote. No released FRQ has used the term verbatim, but NOW is perfect evidence for an argument essay or concept application question about how constitutional provisions motivate social movements. Pairing NOW with the civil rights movement shows you can apply LO 3.10.A across two movements, which is exactly what the rubric rewards.

## National Organization for Women vs Earlier women's suffrage groups

Suffrage organizations like those behind the 19th Amendment fought for one constitutional change, the right to vote, mostly through marches and amendment campaigns. NOW, founded decades later in 1966, fought discrimination in jobs, education, and law using courts and the equal protection clause. The shorthand is that suffragists wanted access to the ballot, while NOW wanted the Fourteenth Amendment enforced everywhere else.

## Key Takeaways

- NOW was founded in 1966 to fight sex-based discrimination, especially by pushing enforcement of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
- The CED names NOW in Topic 3.10 as evidence that the equal protection clause supports and motivates social movements (LO 3.10.A).
- NOW's legal strategy paid off in Reed v. Reed (1971), the first Supreme Court case to strike down a law for sex discrimination under equal protection.
- NOW differed from earlier women's rights groups by focusing on litigation and enforcement of existing civil rights laws, not just constitutional amendments like suffrage.
- On the exam, pair NOW with MLK's 'Letter from a Birmingham Jail' to show the same constitutional provision fueling two different movements.

## FAQs

### What is the National Organization for Women in AP Gov?

NOW is a women's rights group founded in 1966 that used the equal protection clause and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to fight sex discrimination. The AP Gov CED names it in Topic 3.10 as an example of constitutional provisions motivating social movements.

### Did NOW get the Equal Rights Amendment passed?

No. NOW campaigned hard for the ERA, and Congress passed it in 1972, but it fell short of ratification by the states. That's actually a useful exam point, since NOW's biggest wins came through courts and enforcement of existing law, not the amendment process.

### How is NOW different from the suffrage movement?

Suffragists fought for the right to vote, achieved with the 19th Amendment in 1920. NOW came along in 1966 to fight discrimination in employment, education, and law, using litigation under the equal protection clause and pressure to enforce Title VII.

### Which Supreme Court case is connected to NOW?

Reed v. Reed (1971), where the Court for the first time struck down a law for sex discrimination under the equal protection clause. It's the case AP questions tie to NOW's legal strategy.

### Why does the AP Gov CED mention NOW specifically?

Topic 3.10 requires you to explain how the equal protection clause supports social movements, and NOW is one of the CED's named examples, alongside Dr. King's 'Letter from a Birmingham Jail.' Knowing NOW by name lets you supply required evidence on the exam.

## Related Study Guides

- [3.10 Social Movements and Equal Protection](/ap-gov/unit-3/social-movements-equal-protection/study-guide/4nPfvNnp0wiBwd5QUlym)

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