Older Women's League

rdf:langString Older Women's League

rdf:langString Older Women's League

rdf:langString Older Women's League

rdf:langString Janet Pitt

rdf:langString Joan Bernstein, J.D.

rdf:langString Margaret Hellie Huyck, Ph.D.

rdf:langString Treasurer

rdf:langString President

rdf:langString Vice President

rdf:langString OWL The Voice of Women 40 Plus.png

rdf:langString Women's rights, fighting ageism

rdf:langString OWL - The Voice of Women 40+ was founded as the Older Women's League by Tish Sommers and Laurie Shields, following the White House Mini-Conference on Older Women in Des Moines, Iowa in October 1980. The conference, called "Growing Numbers, Growing Force," addressed three main concerns: ensuring adequate income, health concerns of older women, and quality of life and the impact of aging. About 200 women participants stayed on after the conference, at their own expense, to start the Older Women's League, an outgrowth of the Older Women's League Educational Fund, founded by Tish Sommers and Laurie Shields, and named Sommers as the first president of OWL. In March 2017, it was reported that the national organization had decided to disband, but local chapters may continue to function under the OWL name or possibly another name.