In Pursuit of Equity: The Ongoing Struggle for the Equal Rights AmendmentMain MenuIntroductionERA TimelineBeginnings of the ERABreaking Barriers with The ERABacklash To The Equal Rights AmendmentThe Equal Rights Amendment In The Present DayThe Women of the ERAEinav Rabinovitch-Fox2e56e3d6b4b5f137a53bf7f9d80912f3b70a7958Kintan Silvany27acd809d8b92f60fa0c22b1d284608814bc6757Abner Calderonb03ac0a842793a715372659d5c676baf1603fc74Aly Memberg633115900d9e4fdd285e59fb0d1f7aebe9630776By Abner Calderon, Aly Memberg, Kintan Silvany and Einav Rabinovitch-Fox
12023-03-21T20:09:47+00:00Frances Perkins4The biography of Frances Perkinsplain2023-04-25T20:08:38+00:00
Frances Perkins was the secretary of labor during Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency and the first woman to hold a cabinet position in United States history. She was committed to improving the lives of workers and legitimizing the role of labor unions in American society. Perkins was also a skilled politician who influenced the political agenda of her time, advocating for economic justice, the equal rights amendment, and security for all Americans.
Born in Boston in 1880, Perkins grew up in a middle-class family. She attended Mount Holyoke College, where she studied natural sciences and economics. She then proceeded to become involved in actisim regarding labor unions and labor rights. She successfully lobbied her state legislature for a bill limiting the workweek for women and children to 54 hours. Truly, she became active in the women's suffrage movement, marching in suffrage parades and giving street-corner speeches.
Finally, President Franklin D Roosevelt appointed her as Secretary of Labor where she continued to expand rights for labor unions and women.