In explaining the origins of organizations, existing scholarship has tended to overemphasize the role of the lone entrepreneur, and neglect the fact that many new organizations emerge from existing organizations. Half of all new organizations have a parent organization, and the modern feminist movement was, and continues to be, shaped by these parent/breakaway organization relationships. In this Wellesley Centers for Women Lunchtime Seminar on November 11th, Kelsy Kretschmer will investigate the different pathways by which a parent organization can produce a new organization, and access how these pathways affect the relationship between parents and breakaways later. These pathways have important implications for feminism as both ideology and a political movement in the United States. Kelsy Kretschmer is a Visiting Lecturer in the Writing Department at Wellesley College and a Faculty Scholar at the Wellesley Centers for Women.

Lunchtime Seminar Series programs are free and open to the public. Held Thursdays from 12:30 to 1:30 in the Cheever House Library, the seminars highlight the work of Wellesley Centers for Women researchers and program staff. For more information, call 781.283.2500 or visit www.wcwonline.org.

Since 1974, the Wellesley Centers for Women has been a driving force—both behind the scenes and in the spotlight—promoting positive change for women, children, and families. Work at WCW addresses three major areas: the status of women and girls and the advancement of their human rights both in the United States and around the globe; the education, care, and development of children and youth; and the emotional well-being of families and individuals. Issues of diversity and equity are central across all the work as are the experiences and perspectives of women from a variety of backgrounds and cultures.