American Association of University Women

The history of the American Association of University Women mirrors the progress of women in the United States. As the number of women graduating from college grew, so did our membership. Our advocacy efforts have propelled countless new laws, including the Equal Pay Act, first proposed in 1945 and finally passed in 1963; the Title IX amendment in 1972; the Family and Medical Leave Act in 1993; the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2009; and the Paycheck Fairness Act, which was passed by the U.S. Representatives in 2019 but is awaiting action in the Senate.

We’ve come a long way, but we still have a long way to go. In many ways, the fight for gender equity is just getting started.