35 years ago, courts were just starting to rule that sexual harassment was against the law; women earned only 60 cents for every dollar earned by men, and paid maternity leave was not even a pipe dream. At box offices across the country, the film 9 to 5 received both critical and commercial success. It shouldn't have been a surprise, given that 1 in 3 women in the US worked in office environments at that time and thousands had already organized to change the conditions of their work. Women were ready.
The film reflected some of our most outlandish fantasies of removing bad bosses from power and applying common sense solutions to solve problems in our own workplaces; including on-site child care, equal pay, and freedom from discrimination. How did Hollywood get it so right? By talking with members of the grassroots organization 9to5, National Association of Working Women.
A recent Rolling Stone article accurately details that the concept of the film was born through conversations between long-time friends Jane Fonda and Karen Nussbaum, the founder of 9to5. However what that piece misses is the central role of 9to5 members in developing the content. Each of the fantasy sequences, and the solutions to workplace problems, came directly from the experiences of these women.
35 years later, the film still strikes a chord with audiences and 9to5, the organization, is still going strong. Why? Because as long as workplaces fail to provide equal treatment and family friendly policies, we're going to find hope in the victories, both real and imagined, and keep up the fight for better lives.
Since 1973, 9to5 has been instrumental in fighting for and winning key pieces of national legislation that improve the world for working families, including the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1991, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. And we've led successful state-level campaigns on these same issues that improve conditions for millions of women and families.
Today, 9to5 is still organizing women to change the workplace. We're helping win victories and build momentum on paid leave, paid sick days and equal pay -- issues that are on fire across the country and being debated by candidates in both major political parties.
Just this fall, 9to5 was a part of bringing the Ban the Box campaign to a national stage as President Obama signed an executive order to Ban the Box, creating a more level playing field for people with records. 9to5 members were on the front lines of bringing women's voices into the movement to dismantle this form of employment discrimination.
The women behind our Ban the Box campaign are mothers and partners impacted by our broken criminal justice system. Some have also been incarcerated themselves and struggled to find and maintain employment since they were released. Women are currently the fastest growing segment of the prison population, an issue brought to 9to5's attention by grassroots members who have played leadership roles in winning city, state and national policy victories.
In 1973, 9to5 was founded out of a necessity to improve working women's lives. Today, we continue to embody that same spirit. More than four decades later, some of our work may look different, but it is no less relevant. We will continue to challenge workplace injustice with creativity, compassion, and clear strategy. And unlike Mr. Hart in the film, hopefully no bad bosses will have to be hogtied in the process!