Women's Equity Action League

In the 1960s, there were a few women’s activist groups such as the National Organization for Women, though Betty wanted to be part of a group fighting for more relevant areas of female discrimination in the Midwest. In Cleveland, Betty and her friends used their skills and experiences to begin a new organization called the Women’s Equity Action League (W.E.A.L.) in 1968, where she served as the first president. This group emphasized better educational opportunities for women, legislation to ensure educational, economic, and social equality, and lastly acting as an aggressive enforcement program to secure the rights that legislation assures women. Using what she knew and reaching out to legislative officials allowed the organization to gain traction.  

W.E.A.L. had many accomplishments and soon became a national organization. She was most proud of her work with Title IX which passed in 1972. On this project she worked closely with Dr. Bernice Sandler, a professor who fought and succeeded in showing that highly qualified women were often turned away in academia to be replaced by men. Title IX outlaws' sex-based discrimination at any federally-funded public education institution. Betty was also very proud of the organization’s success in fighting sex discrimination in want ads. In the words of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, “Betty Boyer was a true frontrunner in the effort to achieve equal citizenship stature for men and women. Her life is indeed cause for celebration.”