In 1924, the California Real Estate Association formed a Women's Division after members founded the idea on a train ride home from the National Association's convention in Washington, DC.

Fourteen years later, Joseph Catherine, the president of the National Association of Real Estate Boards was so impressed by the California group and the immense potential of women in real estate that he encouraged the formation of the Women's Council Thirty-seven ambitious women represented nine states at WCR's inception in 1938.

At the time, the Association which would become NAR was already thirty years old but most decisions were still made at the Local Board level. Unfortunately, most Local Boards were still resistant to women Through the decades, WCR's membership growth reflected the vast number of women choosing a career in real estate combined with WCR membership, including:

? Salaries equitable to men's since "commission is commission"

? Flexible work schedules allowing REALTORS® the ability to raise a family and have a career instead of choosing one or the other.

? A support system of women in the same field garnering many friendships, networking capabilities -- and referrals.

? Gaining confidence through association with other professional women REALTORS®.

? Recognition for their own achievements and success as well as inspiration and courage to strive for greater successes.

WCR publishes Connections and the Referral Roster. Connections is an online publication that offers articles on business and personal growth topics specially targeted to real estate professionals, especially women. The Referral Roster is a critical resource for WCR members which lists the entire membership. WCR's web site – www.WCR.org -- is an additional referral tool, with daily updates to all member records and over 15,000 active hotlinks to members' email and home pages.

Today, with more than 245 Chapters and 14,000 members, WCR has one of the most successful communication networks in the NAR family. Chapters include men and women who support objectives of WCR and are interested in serving the industry, the community and fellow REALTORS®.