AAUW Members on AAUW and its Mission  

 

AAUW proudly celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2006. Today AAUW is one of the oldest nonprofit organizations dedicated to women's rights. Founded November 28, 1881, by 17 female college graduates, AAUW has developed a rich tradition of leadership, scholarship, advocacy, and action. With approximately 100,000 members, more than 1,000 branches and 500 college and university partners, AAUW members across the country contribute to a more promising future for women and girls.

Members have included many exceptional women, such as Coretta Scott King, former Congresswomen Patsy Mink and Shirley Chisholm, Brigadier General Wilma L. Vaught, Dr. Johnnetta Cole, Betty Friedan, Janet Reno, and Harriet Mayor Fullbright.

A note of interest: Nobel Prize-winning scientist Marie Curie received $156,413 from AAUW members toward the purchase of one gram of radium in 1920.

AAUW's Mission
AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research.

AAUW's Value Promise

By joining AAUW, you belong to a community that breaks through educational and economic barriers so that all women have a fair chance.

Advocating for Women and Girls

Equity is the legal right of all women and girls. AAUW frames and fosters factual, in-depth, objective dialogue among legislators and change makers that results in political, institutional and legal support for women's equity in all areas of life and work.

Legal Advocacy Fund (LAF) - was established in 1981 and works to end sex discrimination in the workplace and in higher education, through community and campus outreach programs, a resource library and online advocacy tools, and various research reports. In collaboration with the Public Policy and Government Relations department, LAF seeks amicus curiae opportunities in workplace sex discrimination cases. LAF also provides support to workplace sex discrimination cases that have the potential to make a difference for all women.

Public Policy - AAUW’s advocacy work builds upon a century of responsible public participation at the local, state, national, and international levels. The member-endorsed Public Policy Program illuminates and advances AAUW’s mission of promoting equity and education for all women and girls.  AAUW conducts comprehensive advocacy to pursue its public policy priorities, developing and implementing coordinated legislative and grassroots strategies to break through educational and economic barriers so all women have a fair chance.

Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act 

Over a year and a half after the Supreme Court virtually eliminated the chance for victims of discrimination to seek vindication, Congress and the Obama administration finally righted the wrong. Thanks to the hard work of AAUW Action Network members and our coalition partners, President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law on Jan. 29. AAUW Executive Director Linda D. Hallman, CAE, and AAUW Director of Public Policy and Government Relations Lisa Maatz were in the front row at the signing in the White House.

Background - Lilly Ledbetter is perhaps the best-known face of pay equity. She worked for nearly two decades at the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in Gadsden, AL. Despite receiving top performance awards, Ledbetter discovered that she had been paid significantly less than male co-workers with the same job. After her November 1998 retirement, she filed suit under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and was awarded back pay and other remedies in a jury trial. The U.S. Supreme Court's 5-4 decision not only erased Ledbetter's award, but also left women, minorities, and others in Ledbetter's situation with virtually no recourse against pay discrimination.

Advancing Educational Opportunities for Women and Girls (Educational Foundation – EF)  

AAUW generates significant resources for higher education, underwriting advanced education opportunities for women and girls to ensure women have access to and the opportunity for high performance in their profession of choice. 

AAUW has a long and distinguished history of advancing educational and professional opportunities for women in the United States and around the globe. One of the world's largest sources of funding for graduate women, AAUW is providing $4.5 million in funding for more than 250 fellowships, grants, and special awards to outstanding women in the 2008-09 academic year.  Due to the generous contributions of AAUW members across the U.S., a broader community of women continues to gain access to educational and economic opportunities — breaking down barriers so all women have a fair chance.