Winter 2007

Governor’s Commission on the Status of Women
1964 -1965

It was a distinct honor and personal pleasure to have the opportunity of spending a few hours with a truly historic figure in Florida Women’s history, Mrs. Aleene Kidd MacKenzie, the first chair of the Florida Commission on the Status of Women.

The Governor’s Commission on the Status of Women was established by executive order in 1964 by Governor Farris Bryant and later reappointed by Governor Hayden Burns. This commission was comprised of 27 women leaders in women’s clubs, civic organizations and in the professional sector. The Commission’s objective is to explore the economic, social political and legal areas affecting women within the state of Florida. They were charged to study and report on the status of women in the state in 1964. The report was submitted to Governor Burns on October 1, 1965 after a year and a half of research and study. The first report focused on five major areas of concern to women which coincidentally are still relevant today. The five areas were: education, home and community, employment, legal status and legislation. These areas still remain the hallmarks of the current commission’s work. In an article appearing January 23, 1966 in the Miami Herald, Florida Commission Chairman Mrs. Aleene Kidd MacKenzie was reported as stating, “the hope that the material covered in the state report can be used to help raise the status of women in our state”.

The appointment of Governor Hayden Burns of this early commission signaled the awareness of the state of Florida’s efforts to insure women’s rights and the coming of age of the women’s movement. According to Mrs. Aleene Kidd Mackenzie, “it was a step in those days for this group of Florida women to take a lead in establishing the foundation for the women’s movement and to make life better or at least equal for the women of the state of Florida”. They were the first to usher in a rising awareness of the issues that would guarantee that women would be given fair and equal opportunities and treatment in education and labor as well as obtaining a legal voice. It was an exciting time for the birth of the modern women in our state. This first annual report serves to help us reflect how far we have come in so many areas while yet striving to reach for better standards in other areas pertaining to the status of women. The first annual report will be found online along with all the publications of the Florida Commission on the Status of Women. We offer our deepest thanks to Mrs. Aleene Kidd MacKenzie and Mrs. Lee Leavengood, who also served on the first commission, for sharing their memories and materials with us.