YOUR LIFE HAS CHANGED; YOUR WORLD HASN'T CAUGHT UP.

"At first I figured I'd have to put everything on hold until the trial was over, and then I could get on with my life. Then I realized: this is my life."

—Dr. Margaret Jensvold, an outstanding medical researcher NOW supported in her legal battles over sex discrimination at the National Institutes of Health.

You're a sales manager for a TV chain's local affiliate. You know you're making $10,000 a year less than a man with the same job in a similar-sized market.

You're trying to juggle the demands of raising your toddlers and the constant stress of your critical care nursing job. Your husband doesn't do diddly at home.

You're a college student who was raped on a date with a guy you thought you could trust. You don't socialize anymore and your grades are slipping.

You leave your marriage after 11 years of physical and emotional abuse. You work double shifts to support your kids, but then a heart attack with no health insurance forces you onto welfare.

You're a lesbian who feels isolated. But you're afraid that if you come out, you'll lose custody of your kids.

You finally launched a new ad agency owned and staffed by African-American women. Business is booming, but when you go to the bank for a loan, they look at you like you're from Mars.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

—Margaret Mead, anthropologist

YOU'VE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE

NOW's half a million contributing members and hundreds of chapters make a difference.

We organize record-breaking crowds for protests on issues such as violence against women and abortion rights.

We help elect record numbers of feminist women to Congress and to state legislatures from Maine to California.

We're using our U.S. Supreme Court victory to sue anti-abortion terrorists who conspire to murder doctors and bomb clinics.

We champion important new laws—like those requiring employers to provide family and medical leave and ensuring stronger enforcement of child support awards.

We advocate for survivors of rape, sexual harassment and sex discrimination.

We organize, organize, organize to fight the right wing—whether it's over attempts to scuttle affirmative action, cut the safety net out from under poor women and their children or outlaw basic civil rights for lesbians and gay men.

"We joined NOW and found out we had voices."

—Laura Morales, from Boston's south end neighborhood.

YOU CAN PLAY A PART

...in creating positive change for women.

You can start small. Be counted. Every dues-paying member adds to our clout. You know your voice is heard, represented by an organization with a 35-year record of standing up for women. Or do something simple like buying a hilarious t-shirt from our catalog or signing up for our long distance phone service. Easy choices like these help move the movement, providing the funding we need to go up against the likes of the so-called Christian Coalition.

You may want to give your local NOW chapter a call. Find out about their protest of that state legislator whose sexist quips make the news every other night. Or their phone campaign to get the county commission to fund day care, not just roads.

The more you give, the more you get. The personal power that comes from working alongside activists who day-in, day-out embody the indomitable conviction that things don't have to stay the way they are. The practical strategies for how to alter your own day-to day life. The thrill that comes from standing side-by side with kindred spirits at a mass demonstration. The deep satisfaction of knowing that even in the midst of our hectic lives, together we can make a difference.

So join us however and wherever you feel comfortable, in the streets or in the suites. But join us. Do it for your daughter or your granddaughter.

Do it for yourself. Do it NOW.

"If believing both male and female workers should be treated with equal respect and dignity makes me a feminist, then that's what I am."

—Marilyn Jancsy, one of 32 cafeteria workers who won a landmark comparable pay lawsuit with NOW's support.

"Your early endorsement and money were key to my decision to run. Your continued financial support and campaign expertise were a strong foundation for my campaign...It was NOW members that I often turned to during the hard times of the campaign when I needed to feel the unconditional, understanding support that only sisters can give."

—U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, (D-Ill.), the first African-American woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate.

"The strong public support of the women in NOW ... [made] it much easier for me to keep going."

—Shannon Faulkner, the first woman to attend the prestigious Citadel military academy.