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"The accusation that I am a woman is incontrovertible" - Frances Perkins

Frances Perkins (1882-1965) was the first woman cabinet member. As Secretary of Labor from March 1933 to July 1945, she also served longer than any other Secretary.

Frances Perkins' role in American political and civic life cannot be underestimated. Not only did she serve as Secretary of Labor for 12 years of the country's most profound economic and legal shifts, she was the principal architect of the Social Security Act. The Social Security Administration website is a rich source of information about Frances Perkins, the Department of Labor, and the Social Security Administration. I particularly encourage you to listen to the audio recordings available here and here. You can also listen to and read the extensive materials at the Notable New Yorkers collection related to Perkins. To listen to or read Frances Perkins is to be reminded of is a strong female voice speaking knowledgeably and with good humor about politics, public policy and American history, economics, and culture. As Al Smith told Franklin Delano Roosevelt: "You'd better not let her get away from you."

51 Percent: A Thought Experiment

Try a simple thought experiment. Imagine yourself going through an ordinary week, going to the places you go, doing the things you do. The only thing that would change is that at each place you went, men and women would be represented in proportion to the numbers of men and women in the population.

So, 51 percent of public transportation workers, at every level, would be women, and 49 percent men. 51 percent of operator-owners of gas stations would be women, 49 percent men. 51 percent of the parents handling drop-off duty for children going to school or day care would be women, 49 percent would be men (and 51 percent of the principals would be woman; 49 percent men and the likewise for the teachers and support staff). If you work at or visit a hotel, 51 percent of the people staying there on business would be women, 49 percent men; 51 percent of the managers would be women, 49 percent men; 51 percent of the housekeeping staff would be women; 49 percent men; 51 percent of engineering or maintenance staff would be women; 49 percent men. A the grocery store, 51 percent of the people shopping for their households would be women and 49 percent men. If you need to find a physician or a dentist, 51 percent of those available would be women, 49 percent men. Same for finding a landscaper, a roofer, a lawyer, a bricklayer, or a webmaster. 51 percent of books in the bookstore would be written by women; 49 percent by men; same for screenplays of movies; and television scripts.

Sociologists, biologists, anthropologists, and historians may be able to come up with an explanation for why in any given aspect of a world where 51 percent of the people are women and 49 percent are men the representation of women and men does not break into these proportions. But the fundamental assumption of the organization 51 Percent is that in every sphere of modern social life, the presumption of gender proportionality should be regarded as a baseline and therefore aspiration.

-Heidi Li Feldman, 51 Percent, Founder