In 1961, Eleanor Roosevelt was asked by President John F. Kennedy to lead a group in the study of inequality towards women. Her husband, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was president of the United States from 1933 to 1945. During and after her husband's presidency, Mrs. Roosevelt was influential in promoting women's rights.
Her book, It's Up to the Women, encouraged women to take part in the political process in order to make change. Under President Kennedy, Mrs. Roosevelt urged the government to ensure that the law guaranteed equal pay and treatment in the workplace for women.
The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was created in response to her work.
Photo courtesy: National Archives
