Advertisement |
Patricia Ireland (born October 19, 1945 in Oak Park, Illinois) is a U.S. administrator and feminist. She served as president of the National Organization for Women, from 1991 to 2001 and published an autobiography, What Women Want, in 1996.
Ireland obtained a Bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee in 1966 and a law degree from the University of Miami School of Law in 1975. She also attended Florida State University College of Law.
Before becoming an attorney, Ireland worked as a flight attendant. She began her fight for women's rights in the 1960s when she discovered discrepancies in her insurance coverage. Her first victory came when the United States Department of Labor ruled in her favor, and she started her legal career doing volunteer work for the National Organization for Women.