American Association of University Women (AAUW)

In 1881, fifteen women graduates representing eight colleges met in Boston to create an organization of women college graduates to assist women in finding greater opportunities to use their education, as well as promoting and assisting college attendance of other women. At this time the organization was called the Association of Collegiate Alumnae or ACA.  The ACA also worked to improve standards of education for women so that men’s and women’s higher education was more equal in scope and difficulty.

Since the founding, the organization has published hundreds of research reports.  One of the earliest was an 1885 paper disproving a prevailing myth that college education would harm a woman’s health and result in infertility.  An ACA committee created a series of questions that were sent to >1000 ACA members; 705 replies were returned. After the results were tabulated, the data demonstrated that higher education did not harm women’s health. That’s the sanitized version.  What was reported was that as women became more educated – and supposedly their brains increased in size – this was not offset by atrophy of the womb.

In 1887, a fellowship program for women was established. Supporting the education of women through fellowships would continually remain a critical part of the organization’s mission.

In 1919, the ACA participated in a larger effort led by a group of American women which ultimately raised >$150K to purchase a gram of radium for Marie Curie for her experiments.

During World War II, AAUW officially began raising money to assist female scholars displaced by the Nazi led occupation who were unable to continue their work. The War Relief Fund received numerous pleas for help and worked tirelessly to find teaching and other positions for refugee women at American schools and universities and in other countries.

AAUW has a long history of strong women leaders:

  • An AAUW member was the first woman to head a U.S. Federal Agency, the Children’s bureau, based on her work on child labor laws
  • An AAUW member became the first woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives
  • An AAUW member was appointed as the first woman to be a member of the U.S. Cabinet
  • The sole female delegate to the conference to discuss the creation of the UN was AAUW member.

And a leader in causes far ahead of the times:

  • Strong advocates for granting women the right to vote (passage of 19th amendment).
  • Over 100 years ago, there was a study of civil service jobs. The study found that women were paid around 78% of what men in similar roles earned.
  • In 1942 AAUW produced the Poll Tax report documenting how these poll taxes disenfranchised people of color, women, and people in poverty.
  • Our commitment to environmental issues was marked by the publication of a 1968 study, This Beleaguered Earth—Can We Survive?, support of Rachel Carson and corresponding local initiatives focused on improving the environment.

ACTIVITIES

AAUW is one of the world’s largest sources of funding exclusively for women who have graduated from college.  Each year, AAUW provides $3.5 to $4 million in fellowships, grants, and awards for women and for community action projects. AAUW has awarded over $115 million in fellowships and grants to more than 13,000 women, both American and International. Thus, we gave have supported the academic achievements of many thousands of scholars ranging from Hanna Holborn Gray, president of the University of Chicago (1978-1993) to astronaut Judith Resnik, the second woman to travel in space.

The Foundation also funds pioneering research on women, girls, and education. The organization funds studies germane to the education of women.

For nearly 40 years AAUW’s Legal Advocacy Fund has helped female students, faculty, and administrators challenge sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, pay inequity, denial of tenure and promotion, and inequality in women’s athletics programs.

AAUW’s 2011 research report addresses sexual harassment in grades seven through 12. More recently, a study documented the economic impact of workplace sexual harassment.

The history of the American Association of University Women mirrors the progress of women in the United States. Our advocacy efforts have propelled countless new laws, including

  • Equal Pay Act, first proposed in 1945 and finally passed in 1963;
  • Title IX amendment in 1972;
  • Family and Medical Leave Act in 1993;
  • Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2009;
  • Paycheck Fairness Act, passed by the U.S. Representatives in 2019 but is awaiting action in the Senate.

AAUW is now venturing into salary negotiation and offers two workshops.  Start Smart is to help college young women negotiate a strong salary as they first enter the workforce.  Then Work Smart is to strengthen their negotiating skills as they progress through their working years.

AAUW West Harris County Branch was chartered in 1976.   Mirroring the national AAUW organization, West Harris County has strongly supported equity, education and advocacy for women and girls.  For example, beginning in the 1990s, we sponsored an annual workshop to introduce middle school girls to careers in math and science.  The program we ran was called “Expanding Your Horizons in Mathematics and Science” (EYH) and it was offered for >25 years.  At the time we began the program, the STEM acronym had not yet been introduced.  But for many years we ran the day-long workshop where each year up to 600 young women heard an outstanding keynote speaker and then attended four different workshops led by women professionals working in various STEM fields.  In 2019 we discontinue offering the EYH program, as similar offerings were widely available through school districts, colleges, and professional organizations.

In AAUW, we’ve come a long way in the fight for gender equity, but there is always much more to be done.  We are glad you are joining us and AAUW in this.  Welcome aboard.