President John F. Kennedy established the President’s Commission on the Status of Women by Executive Order 10980, issued on February 28, 1961. The commission was a bipartisan organization given the task of examining the status of discrimination against women in the nation and proposing ways to eliminate it. Eleanor Roosevelt served as chair of the commission, and the twenty-six members were comprised of a range of individuals, including cabinet members, senators, U.S. representatives, union leaders, educators, and leaders in women’s organizations. Seven committees were established, each focusing on a different area: Education, Federal Employment Policies and Practices, Home and Community, Political and Civil Rights, Private Employment, Protective Labor Legislation, and Social Insurance and Taxes.