The Maine Permanent Commission on the Status of Women (MePCSW) has its roots in an advisory body appointed by Gov. John H. Reed in 1964, titled The Governor’s Advisory Council on the Status of Women. According to a 1977 report, it was the first council or commission on women in the Northeast.
In 1976, state statute renamed the advisory body and established it as the Maine Commission for Women. The Commission produced a handbook for and about the working women in Maine, and another about the legal rights of Maine women. The Commission also maintained a “Talent Bank” designed to recruit qualified women to serve on State boards and commissions, held workshops for women interested in running for office, and provided testimony to the legislature on behalf of Maine women and girls until it was defunded and dissolved in 1991.
The Commission was re-established in 2009 as the MePCSW and has continued building on this rich history. MePCSW produced its first report of the 21st century in 2012, and in subsequent years has highlighted many of the key issues impacting the wellbeing of women and girls in Maine.
