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| Founded | 1992 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Rosalie Silberman,Barbara Olson,Anita K. Blair |
| Type | 501(c)(3)[1] |
| Focus | Women's rights,equity feminism,property rights, free markets,democracy,foreign policy,[1]domestic violence, campus issues, health care,labor policy[2] |
| Location |
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| Coordinates | 38°54′06″N77°02′34″W / 38.9018°N 77.0428°W /38.9018; -77.0428 |
Area served | United States,Iraq,Afghanistan |
| Method | Educational programs, awards, grants, political commentary |
Key people | Sabrina Schaeffer,Carrie Lukas,Heather Higgins,Christina Hoff Sommers,Lynne V. Cheney,Wendy Lee Gramm,Midge Decter, Kate O'Beirne |
| Revenue | $5,680,509[3] (2013) |
| Website | iwf |
TheIndependent Women's Forum (IWF) is anAmerican conservative,non-profit organization focused on economic policy issues of concern to women.[4][5] IWF was founded by activistRosalie Silberman to promote a "conservative alternative to feminist tenets" following the controversialSupreme Court nomination of Clarence Thomas in 1992.[6] IWF's sister organization is the Independent Women's Voice (IWV), a 501(c)(4) organization.
The group advocates "equity feminism", a term first used by IWF authorChristina Hoff Sommers to distinguish "traditional, classically liberal, humanistic feminism" from "gender feminism", which she says opposesgender roles andpatriarchy.[7] According to Sommers, the gender feminist view is "the prevailing ideology among contemporary feminist philosophers and leaders",[7] and "thrives on the myth that American women are the oppressed 'second sex.'"[8] Sommers' equity feminism has been described asanti-feminist by critics.[9]
Founded in 1992 byRosalie Silberman,Anita K. Blair, andBarbara Olson,[6][10] the IWF grew out of thead hoc group "Women for Judge Thomas," created to reinforceClarence Thomas againstallegations of sexual harassment and other sex-based illegal behavior and in his stance as EEOC Chair refusing to enforce of laws against sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace.[11]
By 1996, the organization had some 700 dues-paying members who met regularly at luncheons to network and share ideas.[12] Silberman was the IWF's first president; subsequent leaders have includedNancy Pfotenhauer and Anita Blair. The current president of the organization is Carrie Lukas.[13] The IWF has been described as "a virtual 'Who's Who' of Washington's Republican establishment."[12][14] In 2006, the organization had 20,337 members and a budget of $1.05 million.[4]
The IWF opposes many mainstream feminist positions, describing them as "radical feminism", but rather focuses onequity feminism.[7] IWF-affiliated writers have argued that thesex gap in income exists because of IWF women's greater demand for flexibility, fewer hours, and less travel in their careers, rather than because of sexism. In an article for theDallas Morning News, IWF Vice-presidentCarrie Lukas attributed sex disparities in income to "women's own choices", writing that women "tend to place a higher priority on flexibility and personal fulfillment than do men, who focus more on pay. [women] tend to avoid jobs that require travel or relocation, and they take more time off and spend fewer hours in the office than men do. Men disproportionately take on the most dirty, dangerous and depressing jobs."[15]
The IWF also argues that feminists manufacture domestic violence legislation that "is misleading because it is premised on and meant to advance feminist ideology."[16] This falls under their larger belief that "feminists ... lie about data, are opportunistic, construct men as the enemy, and cast women as helpless victims."[16]
Conservative commentators have praised the IWF;Linda Chavez creditedWomen's Figures: An Illustrated Guide to the Economic Progress of Women in America, a 1999 book published in part by the IWF, with "debunk[ing] much of the feminists' voodoo economics."[17] Writing inCapitalism Magazine,John Stossel cited Michelle Bernard's 2007 bookWomen's Progress as evidence that "American women have never enjoyed more options or such a high quality of life."[18]
Some writers have asserted that feminist rhetoric is used by the IWF for anti-feminist ends.[19][4] ANew York Times editorial described the IWF as "a right-wing public policy group that provides pseudofeminist support for extreme positions that are in fact dangerous to women."[20]
In 2009, IWF produced a political advertisement run onYouTube and in eight states arguing that "300,000 American women with breast cancer might have died" if U.S. healthcare included a government-funded option.[21][22]FactCheck.org labeled the IWF ad "a false appeal to women's fears", finding that the IWF ad relied on "old statistics, faulty logic and false insinuations."[23]
Since shortly after the organization's inception, the IWF has joined with groups like the National Wrestling Coaches Association in opposing the manner in which theUnited States Department of Education'sOffice for Civil Rights has enforcedTitle IX legislation requiring sex equality in public educational investment. The 1972 Title IX law that states: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."[24][25][26]
The organization emphasizes traditional family roles and cultural norms as essential for civil society. In particular, IWF encourages young women to embrace what it presents as a healthy attitude towardsdating, courtship, andmarriage.[27] This emphasis is reflected by high-profile, sometimes controversial[28] work on college campuses where IWF sponsors advertising campaigns and literature distribution to promote its views. One such effort included the running of advertisements with provocative headings such as "The Ten Most Common Feminist Myths."[29] IWF also offers internships and sponsors an annual essay contest open to full-time female undergraduate students.[30]
As a reaction to reports of growing promiscuity on college campuses[31] and theV-Day movement founded byEve Ensler, IWF created its "Take Back the Date" campus program to "reclaimValentine's Day from radical feminists on campus who use a day of love and romance to promote vulgar and promiscuous behavior through activities likeThe Vagina Monologues."[32] Specifically addressing the controversial play, IWF's "Take Back the Date" release states that, "although the play raises money for a good cause, the hyper-sexualized play counteracts the positive contributions of the feminist movement and degrades women."
In an article inThe Guardian, feminist writerJessica Valenti asserted that the program was merely "[r]evamping outdated notions of femininity and positioning them as cutting edge."[33]
The IWF is a member of the advisory board ofProject 2025,[34] a collection ofconservative andright-wing policy proposals fromthe Heritage Foundation to reshape theUnited States federal government and consolidateexecutive power should theRepublican nominee win the2024 presidential election.[35]
Since its founding, IWF has sponsored numerous conferences, panels, and other programs designed to promote its message to an international audience. These primarily include activities and events discussing or taking place in the countries ofIraq[36] andAfghanistan, and focus on promoting female participation in democracy.[37]
The IWF has also had a hand in international women's programs and initiatives. For example, "in the spring of 2002, the IWF's President, Nancy Pfotenhauer, was appointed by U.S. President George W. Bush to be a delegate to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women."[38]
In October 2004, theFeminist Majority Foundation objected to theU.S. Department of State's decision to award part of a grant to IWF.[39] IWF's work in Iraq is in concert with that of the American Islamic Conference and theFoundation for Defense of Democracies, aneo-conservativethink tank.[citation needed]
Donors to IWF have includedDonors Trust, theJohn William Pope Foundation, theLynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, theScaife Foundations, theRandolph Foundation, and theJohn M. Olin Foundation.[40][41][42] Another major sponsor is theCharles Koch Institute, whileFacebook,Dick DeVos and theWalton Family Foundation have also given money to the organization.[43]
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The board is chaired by businesswomanHeather Higgins with other members Yvonne Boice,Kellyanne Conway (temporary leave of absence), Giovanna Cugnasca,Nan Hayworth,Larry Kudlow, and Adele Malpass.[44] Directors emeritae of the organization include formerSecond Lady of the United StatesLynne V. Cheney, writerMidge Decter, Kimberly O. Dennis, economistWendy Lee Gramm, Elizabeth Lurie, journalistKate O'Beirne,Nancy Pfotenhauer, Sally Pipes, Michaelon Wright, Randy Silberman, and Louise V. Oliver.[44]
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