Dolly Parton’s Fight for Working Women

In the 1970s, I co-founded 9 to 5, an organization that campaigned for equality at work. Dolly Parton’s outsize presence helped us win.

Back in 1972, some colleagues and I were sitting in a circle on our lunch hour talking about our jobs. We talked about low pay, unequal pay, training men to be our own supervisors, and having to do favors for our bosses.

I think it all hit home for us the day a student walked into the office, looked one of us straight in the eye, and asked, “Isn’t anybody here?” Well, I’m here. Can’t you see me?

Out of those conversations, an organization grew. I was one of 10 women office workers in Boston who founded 9 to 5, which was the direct inspiration for Jane Fonda’s blockbuster movie. Dolly Parton’s toe-tapping theme song “9 to 5” quickly rose to the top of the charts. Along with her touching and hilarious performance as the sweet but mightily annoyed Doralee Rhodes, the beloved anthem boosted our efforts to win equality, higher pay, and respect for working women. Among her many achievements, Parton made a giant contribution to women’s rights on the job.  

Women were up against a lot. At that time, sexual harassment was perfectly legal. You could be fired for being pregnant. In the newspapers, there were two columns: “Help Wanted Male” and “Help Wanted Female.” Millions of women were pouring into the workplace, and one in three was an office worker. As the clerical workforce grew by leaps and bounds, so did a sense of injustice among the women whose job it was to type, file, staple, mimeograph, and photocopy. 

Yet in the downtown office workforce, there was little or no history of collective action. When you had a problem, you were likely to think of it as your own personal dilemma. Maybe you should dress better or take a class. The idea of sitting across the table to negotiate with management was unimaginable to many of us. Employers, of course, were intent on keeping it that way. 

Bit by bit, though, we perfected the collective art of raising a ruckus, and things began to change. Across the city, we won millions of dollars in back pay and raises. We formed a national association with members in........

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