AAUW Interesting History Tidbits | AAUW Port Townsend (WA) Branch

AAUW advocated for the creation of the United Nations. Our organization was granted observer status in 1946, and special consultive status in 2008, giving us a voice on UN committees.

AAUW published a poll tax report in 1942 which helped to end voting discrimination against women, people of color, and people in poverty.

AAUW has always served as a way for women to unite as a source of friendship, support, strength, and power. We have advocated for reproductive rights, equal pay and maternity leave, and against discrimination, sexual harassment and sexual assault.

In 1969, the Coretta Scott King Fund was established to provide scholarships for 46 Black women. AAUW has continued to give scholarships to women of color and to support them in gaining leadership positions.

The AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund has supported more than 120 plaintiffs in lawsuits related to sex discrimination in higher ed and in the workplace. One such suit resulted in the passage of the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act signed into law by President Obama in 2009.

Work Smart and Smart Start programs train college women and young graduates in salary negotiation. The National Conference for College Student Leaders, known as NCCWSL, started in 2002 to train young women from around our nation for leadership positions.

AAUW has adopted a STEM emphasis and supports Tech Trek summer camps for middle school girls in many states.

In 1885, AAUW’s first research and report disproved the then current myth that a college education impaired a woman’s fertility.

AAUW has financially supported and encouraged the academic achievements of thousands of female scholars, both in the United States and around the world. We have supported and advanced women in leadership roles in all levels of government, in academia, and in business and industry.

The Title IX amendment was created and passed because of the work of AAUW members in 1972. This assures gender equity in education, to include equal opportunities for women’s sports, for institutions that receive Federal financial assistance. AAUW has since documented harassment and discrimination in education and has fought for change, including publishing several research studies on the topic.