tween the rights of the father and mother to inherit from legitimate children. Most States allow the unmarried mother to inherit from her child.

Family Support

In all States the husband and father is primarily liable for family support; the responsibility devolves on the mother if the father is dead or otherwise incapable of furnishing such support. Under community-property law (see footnote 14) the common estate of husband and wife is liable for family support; in the remaining States and the District of Columbia the property of the husband is primarily liable for family necessaries. In 36 of these States 18 the wife and mother is declared by law to be liable for the support of the family if the husband and father is dead or unable to provide support.

13

Unmarried parents.-The mother is primarily liable for support of her child born out of wedlock. Most States have legal procedures for establishing paternity if satisfactory proof is submitted. Until paternity is established or voluntarily assumed, the father has no legal obligation to support the child, or to contribute to the expenses of the mother at childbirth.

Civil Status-Contract and Property Law

Power to Make Contracts

All States recognize a married woman's legal capacity to contract her personal services in employment outside her home, and to collect her earnings from such work without the formal consent of her husband.

The eight 14 community-property States do not ordinarily empower a wife to contract alone concerning the common marital property, though the husband has extensive powers of sole contract, particularly over the personal property owned in common.

Ownership, Control, and Use of Property

General.-In property management and control, inheritance, and freedom of enjoyment of earnings, there is no distinction between the rights of unmarried women and unmarried men. In most States, married women and married men have the same degree of control over their separate property.

Personal earnings of married women are made their separate prop

18 Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

14 Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington.

erty by specific statute in most of the States not having a communityproperty law. Five States 15 have statutes, under which court sanction, and in some cases the husband's consent, is required for a wife's legal venture into an independent business, if she is to keep the profits for her own account.

Property acquired by joint efforts after marriage.-Eight States 14 have the community-property system of ownership between husband and wife applied to property acquired by their joint efforts during the marriage. In these States the husband has principal control of most of the communal property while the spouses live together. Two of the community-property States 16 give the wife control over her earnings, even as part of the communal estate.

In the 40 States 17 and the District of Columbia where the commonlaw background exists as distinguished from the civil-law tradition, the property accumulated during the marriage by the cooperative efforts of both husband and wife is generally under the control of the husband subject to certain restrictions, and except as the effect of this rule may be overcome by private agreement between the parties.

Disposition of property after death.-Married women may dispose of their separate property by will as freely as married men may. Two of the community-property States, Nevada and New Mexico, limit a wife's testamentary rights to her half of the community estate. In the absence of a will, a widow or widower inherits similar portions from the deceased spouse in most States.

Practically all the States require maintenance for the widow from the husband's estate during the settlement period. At least one-third of them provide support from solvent estates under administration for either spouse who survives.

14 Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington. 15 California, Florida, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Texas.

16 Idaho, Washington.

17 Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

7

ORGANIZATIONS OF INTEREST

TO WOMEN

National organizations for women, together with some professional organizations for both women and men, are grouped in the following list according to fields of interest. Membership is noted if recent figures are available. Individual national and international unions, collegiate and alumnae associations, and women's organizations affiliated with fraternal orders have been omitted. (For an alphabetical list of organizations included, see p. 95.)

Organizations Having Social, Civic, or Religious Purposes

American Women's Voluntary Services, Inc., 270 Park Avenue, Building B, New York 17, N. Y. Founded in 1940. Its purpose is to make available to all women of America the opportunity to work actively on a voluntary basis for their country through constructive service to their community, and to instruct and guide these volunteers toward the achievement of this end. Membership: Over 27,100.

Association of the Junior Leagues of America, Inc., The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York 22, N. Y. Founded in 1901. Its purpose is to foster interest among its members in the social, economic, educational, cultural, and civic conditions of the community, and to make efficient their volunteer service. Membership: Approximately 67,500 in 188 Junior Leagues in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Hawaii.

Camp Fire Girls, Inc., 16 East 48th Street, New York 17, N. Y. Founded in 1910. Its purpose is "to perpetuate the spiritual ideals of the home" and "to stimulate and aid in the formation of habits making for health and character." It seeks to serve the leisure-time needs of all girls between the ages of 7 and 18 and emphasizes the individual development of each girl. Its program supplements the training of the home, church or synagogue, and school, through enjoyable and character-building activities. Membership: Over 400,000. General Federation of Women's Clubs, 1734 N Street NW., Washington 6, D. C. Established in 1890. Its objective is to unite women's clubs and like organizations throughout the world for the purpose of mutual benefit and for the promotion of their common interest in education, philanthropy, public welfare, moral values, civics, and fine arts. Membership: 11,000,000 through combined membership with affiliated groups in 54 countries, territories, and possessions (862,740 per capita paying members).

Girl Scouts of the United States of America, 155 East 44th Street, New York 17, N. Y. Founded in 1912. The purpose of scouting is to “help girls develop as happy, resourceful individuals willing to share their abilities as citizens in their homes, their communities, their country and the world." Membership: 2,000,000 girls, 600,000 adults.

League of Women Voters of the United States, 1026 17th Street NW., Washington 6, D. C. Founded in 1920. Its purpose is to promote political responsibility through informed and active participation of citizens in government. Membership: 127,000 in 985 local Leagues organized in 48 States, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, and Alaska.

Lucy Stone League, Inc., The, Suite 1116, 565 Fifth Avenue, New York 17, N. Y. The League is a center for research and information on the status of women. Membership: Over 200.

National Association of Colored Women's Clubs, Inc., 1601 R Street NW., Washington 9, D. C. The organization was founded in 1896 with the purpose of preparing women of color for complete community participation by raising the standards of homelife, and by providing better health, educational and economic opportunities. Membership: 200,000 in 44 States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Haiti.

National Consumers League for Fair Labor Standards, 348 Engineers' Building, Cleveland 14, Ohio. Established in 1899. Its purpose is "to awaken consumers' interest in their responsibility for conditions under which goods are made and distributed; and through investigation, education, and legislation, to promote fair labor standards." Its legislative program includes minimum wage, child labor, hours of work, social security and improvement of the conditions of migrant workers in agriculture. There are active State branches in New York, New Jersey, Michigan, and Ohio and individual members in every State. (Not restricted to women.)

National Council of Catholic Women, 1312 Massachusetts Avenue NW., Washington 5, D. C. Established in 1920. Its purpose is to federate existing organizations of Catholic women in order that they may speak and act as a unit when the welfare of the church or the country demands such expression. Through special committees, it endeavors to stimulate interest in the welfare of all workers. Affiliated with the World Union of Catholic Women's Organizations. Membership: Over 9,000,000 women through more than 10,000 National, State, Diocesan, and local affiliated groups.

National Council of Jewish Women, Inc., 1 West 47th Street, New York 36, N. Y. Established in 1893. Its purpose is to afford its members an opportunity to assume a constructive role in the American community through its programs of social legislation, contemporary Jewish affairs, international understanding for peace, service to foreign born, community welfare; and to help in reconstruction of Jewish communities overseas through providing training in educational and social welfare fields, and sending material aid. Membership: Over 100,000.

National Council of Negro Women, Inc., 1318 Vermont Avenue NW., Washington 5, D. C. Organized in 1935. The Council seeks the cooperation and membership of all races and works for the integration of Negroes into the economic, social, cultural, civic, and political life of every community. There are 21 national organizations and 92 local councils capable of reaching 850,000 women. National Council of Women of the United States, Inc., 345 East 46th Street, New York 17, N. Y. Organized in 1888. Its purpose is to achieve, through the

unity of women, world peace, security, and equal opportunity for all. Foundermember of the International Council of Women. Membership: 5,000,000 (approximately) through combined membership of affiliated groups. National Jewish Welfare Board, 145 East 32d Street, New York 16, N. Y. Founded in 1917. It is the national association of Young Women's Hebrew Associations as well as Young Men's Hebrew Associations and Jewish Community Centers. It is also the recognized Jewish community agency for meeting the religious, welfare, and moral needs of Jewish personnel in the Armed Forces, and is a constituent agency of the United Service Organizations (USO). The Women's Organizations' Division of the National Jewish Welfare Board coordinates the work of eight national Jewish women's organizations united for services to hospitalized veterans, military personnel in army camps, and chaplains.

National Social Welfare Assembly, Inc., 345 East 46th Street, New York 17, N. Y. Organized 1945. The assembly believes that social welfare means the wellbeing of all people and that all parts of social welfare are interrelated; its purpose is to further these concepts through a threefold partnership of government and voluntary, national and local, lay and professional interests. Membership: 216 individuals from 63 affiliated national organizations and 4 associate groups. About one-third are women.

National Woman's Christian Temperance Union, 1730 Chicago Avenue, Evanston, Ill. Established in 1874. Its purpose is to unite the Christian women of the United States for the education of the public to a standard of total abstinence from alcoholic beverages and abolition of liquor traffic; for youth training in habits of total abstinence and sobriety; and for the promotion of good citizenship, peace, and the general welfare. Paid membership: 300,000. National Woman's Forum, Inc., 266 Fulton Avenue, Hempstead, N. Y. Founded in 1944. Under the motto "For a United Community-For a Stronger Democracy," it serves as a clearinghouse of organizations (primarily women's) on the local level, coordinating their activities in common projects, for the betterment of the community and the strengthening of democracy at the grassroots.

United Church Women, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York 10, N. Y. Organized in December 1941. It is a General Department of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Its purpose is to unite church women in their allegiance to their Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, through a program looking to their integration in the total life and work of the church and the building of a world Christian community. Membership: 10,000,000 and 2,200 local councils of church women.

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Administrative Headquarters United States Section, 2006 Walnut Street, Philadelphia 3, Pa.; legislative office, 214 2d Street NE., Washington 2, D. C. Established in 1915 in The Hague. Its purpose is to unite those in all countries who oppose every kind of war, exploitation, and oppression, and who want to work for the peaceful solution of conflicts by establishment of justice for all, without distinction as to sex, race, class, or creed.

Young Women's Christian Association of the United States of America, 600 Lexington Avenue, New York 22, N. Y. Founded in the United States in 1858, in London, 1855. Organized to advance the physical, mental, social and spiritual well being of women and girls and "to build a fellowship of women and girls devoted to the task of realizing in our common life those ideals of personal