Montana International Women's Year Records, 1976-1977
Table of Contents
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Montana International Women's Year
- Title
- Montana International Women's Year Records
- Dates
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1976-1977 (inclusive)19761977
- Quantity
- 1 linear feet of shelf space
- Collection Number
- MC 181
- Summary
- The Montana International Women's Year Conference met in Helena in 1977. Records (1976-1977) include general correspondence, financial records, minutes, and organizational materials for the MIWY Coordinating Committee; minutes, reports, speeches, etc. for the conference; subject files for other committees and regional conferences; and clippings. [Photographs, artifacts, printed materials, and a sound recording have been transferred to the Photograph Archives, Museum, Library, and Sound Recordings Collection respectively.]
- Repository
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Montana Historical Society, Library & Archives
Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT
59620-1201
Telephone: 4064442681
Fax: 4064445297
mhslibrary@mt.gov - Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Historical Note
In 1972 the United Nations designated 1975 as International Women's Year (IWY). The objective of IWY was to define a society in which women fully participate in economic, social, and political life, and to devise strategies whereby such societies could develop. Three years later, in June 1975, representatives of 133 nations at the IWY World Conference in Mexico City unanimously adopted a World Plan of Action. This plan provided guidelines for national action for the next ten years which were designated as the Decade of Women. Through the efforts of women in the federal government, a grant agreement was signed in 1973 to establish the U.S. Center for IWY. The Center's purpose was to publicize IWY throughout the U.S. and stimulate appropriate activities by women's organizations. In 1974 President Richard Nixon designated 1975 as International Women's Year for the United States. A year later, President Gerald Ford established the U.S. National Commission on the Observance of IWY and charged that Commission with promoting the observance of IWY, examining the conditions of life and the status of women in the United States, encouraging the public and private sectors to set objectives to be achieved during IWY, and submitting to the president a report containing its findings and recommendations for future government and non-government action. Following the Mexico City conference, the U.S. Commission began to identify unmet social and economic needs of women in the United States. Committees studied several subjects including the arts and humanities, enforcement of the laws, the media, international interdependence, child development, status of homemakers, women in employment, and women in power. During 1976 the Commission adopted over one-hundred recommendations proposed by these committees, which were compiled into a report entitled "To Form A More Perfect Union ... " Justice For American Women. The report was presented to the president and the public on July 1, 1976. Late in 1975 the U.S. Congress passed Public Law 94-167. This law directed the U.S. Commission on IWY to hold a series of state and territorial meetings, to be followed by a National Women's Conference (NWC), November 18-21, 1977, in Houston, Texas. Congress later appropriated $5 million for these activities. The NWC and state meetings were intended to provide an opportunity for serious public attention to women's concerns. Occurring during the Decade for Women, the state meetings and NWC included an international focus aimed at deepening the understanding of the concerns that bind women in the United States to women in other nations. To plan the state meetings, the U.S. Commission appointed a coordinating committee in each state. The Montana IWY Coordinating Committee held its first meeting in December 1976. The 31-member Committee included people who reflected the variety of characteristics and interests of Montana women as a whole. Montana received $25,000 to help fund the state meeting and related activities. Sue Barlett of Helena was employed to coordinate all of the Montana IWY activities. Mary D. Munger of Helena chaired the Committee and Maxine Johnson of Missoula directed the financial affairs of the Committee. To inform as many Montanans as possible about IWY, five regional meetings were held during March and April 1977. Following the regional meetings, the Coordinating Committee appointed task forces to study the issues identified by the women attending the regional meetings. The task forces presented their studies and proposed recommendations to the Montana state meeting which was held on July 8-10, 1977, in Helena. State meeting participants, more than 1800, voted on all recommendations and elected 14 delegates to carry those recommendations to the NWC in Houston in November 1977.
Content Description
Records. 1976-1977. 1 linear foot. The records of the Montana International Women's Year contain general correspondence, financial records, minutes, and organizational materials for the MIWY Coordinating Committee. In addition there are minutes, organizational materials, reports, speeches, and biographies of participants for the state meeting held in Helena. The collection also includes subject files for other MIWY committees and the regional conferences and clippings. Photographs, artifacts, printed materials and a sound recording have been separated to the Photo Archives, Museum, Library, and Archives Sound Recording Collection respectively.
Administrative Information
Return to TopDetailed Description of the Collection
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection
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General Correspondence
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Description: Coordinating CommitteeDates: 1977Container: Box/Folder 1 / 1-2
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Incoming Correspondence
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Description: National Commission to state coordinating committees (includes agendas, letters, updates, etc.)Dates: 1976-1977Container: Box/Folder 1 / 3
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Financial Records
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Description: Grant funding, Coordinating Committee budgets, etc.Dates: 1977Container: Box/Folder 1 / 4
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Legal Documents
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Description: Coordinating Committee agreement with Montana Department of Community AffairsDates: 1977Container: Box/Folder 1 / 5
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Minutes
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Description: Coordinating CommitteeDates: 1976-1977Container: Box/Folder 1 / 6
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Description: State meeting (volumes 1-2, includes two, 60 minute cassette tapes)Dates: 1977Container: Box/Folder 1 / 7-8
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Organizational Records
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Description: Coordinating Committee forms, rules, schedules, membership list, guidelines, and manual from national organizationDates: 1976-1977Container: Box/Folder 2 / 1
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Description: State meeting general information on housing, financial aid, agendas, schedules, rules, etc.Dates: 1977Container: Box/Folder 2 / 2
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Photographs
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Description: List of photographs separated to the Photo ArchivesDates:Container: Box/Folder 2 / 3
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Printed Material
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Description: List of printed materials separated to the LibraryDates:Container: Box/Folder 2 / 4
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Reports
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Description: MIWY state meeting final report (includes copy of program and reports booklet)Dates: 1977Container: Box/Folder 2 / 5
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Speeches
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Description: State meeting speeches by Governor Ted Schwinden and a Native American women's representativeDates: 1977Container: Box/Folder 2 / 6
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Subject Files
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Description: Communications Committee (includes press releases)Dates: 1977Container: Box/Folder 2 / 7
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Description: Exhibits CommitteeDates: 1977Container: Box/Folder 2 / 8
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Description: Film CommitteeDates: 1977Container: Box/Folder 2 / 9
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Description: Nominating CommitteeDates: 1977Container: Box/Folder 2 / 10
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Description: Program CommitteeDates: 1977Container: Box/Folder 2 / 11
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Description: Regional Conference (re structure, rules, evaluation forms)Dates: 1977Container: Box/Folder 2 / 12
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Description: Regional conference, 1-A, Miles CityDates: 1977Container: Box/Folder 2 / 13
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Description: Regional conference, 1-B, Wolf PointDates: 1977Container: Box/Folder 2 / 14
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Description: Regional conference, 2, Great FallsDates: 1977Container: Box/Folder 2 / 15
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Description: Regional conference, 3, BillingsDates: 1977Container: Box/Folder 2 / 16
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Description: Regional conference, 4, ButteDates: 1977Container: Box/Folder 3 / 1
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Description: Regional conference, 5, MissoulaDates: 1977Container: Box/Folder 3 / 2
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Miscellany
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Description: Biographies of delegates elected for the national meetingDates: 1977Container: Box/Folder 3 / 3
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Description: Biographies of individuals nominated but not elected for the national meetingDates: 1977Container: Box/Folder 3 / 4
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Description: Biographies of other women attending MIWYDates: 1977Container: Box/Folder 3 / 5
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Description: List of artifacts separated to the Museum; list of sound recordings separated to the Archives Sound Recordings CollectionDates:Container: Box/Folder 3 / 6
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Description: List of voters at state meeting; registration bookDates: 1977Container: Box/Folder 3 / 7
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Description: Mailing listsDates: 1977Container: Box/Folder 3 / 8
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Description: Proclamation; anthem; letterhead; agenda for Women's Park meetingDates: 1976-1977Container: Box/Folder 3 / 9
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Clippings
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Description: MIWY articles from the Billings, Bozeman, Butte, and Great Falls newspapersDates: 1977Container: Box/Folder 3 / 10
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Description: MIWY articles from the Helena, Kalispell, Libby, Miles City, and Missoula newspapersDates: 1977Container: Box/Folder 3 / 11
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Description: MIWY articles from miscellaneous Montana newspapers, etc.Dates: 1977Container: Box/Folder 3 / 12
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Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Women--Societies and Clubs
- Women in Politics
- Women's Rights
