1885:  A study of 1300 AAUW members contradicted a prominent Boston doctor’s conclusion that education was harmful to a woman’s health.

1898:  Committee on Educational Legislation was formed and advocated for child labor laws, compulsory education, abolition of child labor, juvenile courts, and public funding of schools and libraries.

1926:  Committee on the Legal Status of Women was formed and studied the earning capacity of women by distributing 20,000 questionnaires to 216 branches.

1941:  Women’s units in the armed forces and equal pay and rank were called for.

1946:  After advocating for the formation of the United Nations, AAUW was accorded permanent U.N. observer status.

1953:   Financial issues were studied leading to support for the Federal Equal Pay Act at a time when women were making $.65 for every $1.00 a man made.  The act was passed in 1963.

1970:  A survey established widespread discrimination against women in higher education from students to trustees resulting in the mailing of 20 guidelines for affirmative action to campuses that predated federal guidelines by three years.

1972:  AAUW was instrumental in the passage of Title IX, co-authored by member Patsy Mink (D-HI), that prohibits sex discrimination in schools receiving federal funds.

1978:  Follow-up study on research done in 1970 revealed little progress despite Title IX and other legislation.

1981:  The AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund is established to help women experiencing sex discrimination in higher education.

1993:  After long-term AAUW support, the Family and Medical Leave Act was passed.

Nineties:  Many studies are published by the AAUW Educational Foundation related to gender issues in public education.