Which American women's rights organization was founded in New York on International Women's Day in 1946?

The Congress of American Women was founded in New York on International Women’s Day in 1946.

The organization was established on March 8, 1946, following the 1945 founding conference in Paris of the Women’s International Democratic Federation. It served as the federation’s American branch and brought together women interested in equality, labor rights, peace and civil rights.

Its membership included a broad range of progressive American women, including activists, labor figures, educators and professionals. Elinor S. Gimbel was its primary organizer, while Eleanor Flexner became its executive director in 1946. The group supported women’s full rights both at work and in the home.

The Congress of American Women later became entangled in early Cold War politics. In 1948, the House Un-American Activities Committee attacked it as a communist-front organization, and the group was forced to register as “subversive.” It dissolved in 1950. It is easily confused with older American organizations such as the National Woman’s Party or the League of Women Voters, but its founding date and connection to the Women’s International Democratic Federation make it distinct.