Women's Action Alliance

The Women's Action Alliance ("WAA" or "the Alliance") was a feminist organization in the United States, established in 1971 during the Women's Movement. It was founded by Gloria Steinem, Brenda Feigen Fasteau and Dorothy Pitman-Hughes., combining their respective legacies in the civil rights movement to forge a network of activists dedicated to a vision of equality for women in all streams of life. Its founding mission was to assist women by coordinating resources and individuals working at the grassroots level on a broader national scale. The founders said that the time had come to build upon the previous success of the women’s movement to effect further change in society's recognition and treatment of women. The founding members of the WAA stated a goal of helping the "large numbers of women who want to change their lot in life" by becoming a clearinghouse of women's information. The WAA, among many other contributions, helped to open the first battered women's shelters.

The board of directors of the Women's Action Alliance included several notable feminists such as Bella Abzug and Shirley Chisholm. Gloria Steinem chaired the board from 1971-1978.

The Women's Action Alliance was dissolved in 1997 due to lack of funding.

The Women's Action Alliance attempted to connect women with community organizations and professionals interested in feminist causes. They would write to them to "change their lot in life" and ask about services the feminist organization could steer them toward. A lot of early correspondence was sent to the WAA asking for referrals to women or feminist professionals (psychologists, lawyers, doctors, etc.) and some even asked about starting feminist organizations or chapters in their vicinities. The WAA came up with all of these referrals and sources by gathering from other women directly. Pamphlets would be sent out asking that any woman who belonged to a women's group to send their work and info so the WAA could direct other women in their areas to them when prompted. The same went for those women and feminist doctors and lawyers; women would send in names of women professionals and those specifically interested in helping women.

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