Stewardesses for Women's Rights
Encyclopedia
Stewardesses for Women's Rights was the first all-female national organization for flight attendants, founded in America in 1972 by Sandra Jarrell and Jan Fulsom, as well as several other female flight attendants. Previously that year Sandra Jarrell and Jan Fulsom had taken Eastern Air Lines
to court on charges of discriminatory weight and grooming regulations: Jarrell had been fired for weighing a few pounds over 132, although 132 pounds was below what was medically approved for her height of 5 feet 9 inches, and Fulsom had her skirt torn off by a drunken passenger, which caused her to quit. SFWR fought employment and promotion rules they thought were unfair, as well as cargo practices they thought were unsafe. Furthermore, they referred flight attendants who wanted to file claims of discrimination to lawyers who could represent them, and they filed lawsuits against National Airlines
and Continental Airlines
, claiming that a hostile work environment was created by the airlines' advertising campaigns, "We Really Move Our Tails for You" and "I'm Carol, Fly Me." To counter these advertisements, which they thought were sexist, SFWR launched a media campaign depicting female flight attendants as responsible professionals. They also picketed films that depicted female flight attendants as sex objects, and bookstores which sold books that did so. On at least one occasion, union officials stopped SFWR from distributing its newsletter to flight attendants' airport mailboxes, and initially SFWR was charged with creating a rival union, but the union later backed down from that charge. Many of the legal cases SFWR referred flight attendants to lawyers for succeeded in ending marital and age restrictions applied to female flight attendants, as well as helping female flight attendants gain the right to remain employed while pregnant.
The SFWR national headquarters opened in early 1974 at Rockefeller Center in New York City, and eventually there were regional offices throughout the United States. The first national conference of SFWR, held in March 1973, was addressed by Gloria Steinem
, who had recently founded Ms. Magazine; Steinem continued to be a strong supporter of the organization throughout its existence. SFWR folded in the spring of 1976.
Eastern Air Lines
Eastern Air Lines was a major United States airline that existed from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida.-History:...
to court on charges of discriminatory weight and grooming regulations: Jarrell had been fired for weighing a few pounds over 132, although 132 pounds was below what was medically approved for her height of 5 feet 9 inches, and Fulsom had her skirt torn off by a drunken passenger, which caused her to quit. SFWR fought employment and promotion rules they thought were unfair, as well as cargo practices they thought were unsafe. Furthermore, they referred flight attendants who wanted to file claims of discrimination to lawyers who could represent them, and they filed lawsuits against National Airlines
National Airlines (NA)
National Airlines was an airline founded in 1934 and was headquartered on the grounds of Miami International Airport in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States near Miami.- History :...
and Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...
, claiming that a hostile work environment was created by the airlines' advertising campaigns, "We Really Move Our Tails for You" and "I'm Carol, Fly Me." To counter these advertisements, which they thought were sexist, SFWR launched a media campaign depicting female flight attendants as responsible professionals. They also picketed films that depicted female flight attendants as sex objects, and bookstores which sold books that did so. On at least one occasion, union officials stopped SFWR from distributing its newsletter to flight attendants' airport mailboxes, and initially SFWR was charged with creating a rival union, but the union later backed down from that charge. Many of the legal cases SFWR referred flight attendants to lawyers for succeeded in ending marital and age restrictions applied to female flight attendants, as well as helping female flight attendants gain the right to remain employed while pregnant.
The SFWR national headquarters opened in early 1974 at Rockefeller Center in New York City, and eventually there were regional offices throughout the United States. The first national conference of SFWR, held in March 1973, was addressed by Gloria Steinem
Gloria Steinem
Gloria Marie Steinem is an American feminist, journalist, and social and political activist who became nationally recognized as a leader of, and media spokeswoman for, the women's liberation movement in the late 1960s and 1970s...
, who had recently founded Ms. Magazine; Steinem continued to be a strong supporter of the organization throughout its existence. SFWR folded in the spring of 1976.