July/August 2008
AAUW Research
Where the Girls Are Debunks Boys' Crisis, Gains Media Attention
On May 22, AAUW released its latest research report, Where the Girls Are: The Facts About Gender Equity in Education. The report presents a comprehensive look at girls' educational achievement during the past 35 years, paying special attention to the relationship between girls' and boys' progress. The report debunks the idea of a "boys' crisis," showing instead that both boys and girls from elementary school through college have made steady educational gains over the years. This report is also the first to analyze gender differences within economic and ethnic categories. The data show that academic success is more closely associated with family income than with gender.
Where the Girls Are enjoyed major media coverage on its release. The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, PBS's NewsHour, and many other news sources prominently featured the report. Visit www.aauw.org to download a free copy of the full report or the executive summary and help spread the word.
Public Policy Celebrates AAUW's New Report
The AAUW Public Policy and Government Relations Department hosted a briefing on Capitol Hill to discuss the findings of AAUW's new report, Where the Girls Are: The Facts About Gender Equity in Education. The AAUW Capitol Hill Lobby Corps delivered copies of the report and AAUW's policy recommendations from the report to Hill offices. AAUW member leaders at the state and branch level can play a role in raising awareness about AAUW's latest report and its implications for educational equity by using the ideas in the report's programming guide.
The guide includes practical ideas and tips for branch programming, community outreach, and informing the public debate. It also includes information on sharing the research and amplifying AAUW's message with talking points and a press release template. In addition, AAUW members can use the Two-Minute Activist to urge their members of Congress to include two key recommendations related to the report in the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act. Members can also read our additional recommendations for the law.
AAUW Events
More Than 500 Students Attend Student Leadership Conference!
The 2008 National Conference for College Women Student Leaders was a huge success! See highlights from the event on the conference website, including video clips from attendees about the important benefits the conference provided them and their gratitude for the generous support of AAUW's branches and states.
AAUW would like to thank the conference sponsors and everyone who made contributions to the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders general fund and scholarship fund.
Save the Date — 2009 AAUW Convention Set for St. Louis!
The 2009 AAUW Convention will take place June 26–28, 2009, at the historic Renaissance Grand & Suites Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri. Previously known as the Statler Hotel, this stunning venue holds a special place in St. Louis and women's history as the backdrop for the 1919 convention of the National American Suffrage Association. On that occasion, convention-goers established the League of Women Voters to secure the enfranchisement of women in every state in the country. Our convention next year promises to be a historic one as well, with many new features and a new format. Visit the AAUW website for all the latest convention news as it becomes available.
AAUW Leadership
Hallman Attends Global Summit of Women
AAUW Executive Director Linda Hallman recently traveled to Hanoi, Vietnam, to speak at the 2008 Global Summit of Women. She participated on a panel of distinguished leaders and discussed AAUW's groundbreaking pay equity research. The Global Summit of Women celebrates women's leadership worldwide by bringing together women business, professional, and governmental leaders from around the world for a stimulating three-day conference. Details about the summit can be found at www.globewomen.org.
AAUW Members in Action
AAUW Member Makes Film About Widows in India
Linda Mandrayar, an AAUW member-at-large from Southern California, has released a movie showing the plight of widowed women in the Indian city of Vrindavan. White Rainbow follows four women who struggle with the physical and mental abuse, stigmatization, and poverty that surround them as widows in Indian society. The women find each other in the "City of Widows" and are able to recognize each other's grief and provide much-needed support to one another.
Mandrayar and her husband were inspired to make the movie when their son brought home a reading assignment about the ongoing mistreatment of Indian widows. "We were shocked to learn that widows in India are still mistreated and stigmatized even in modern times. We were determined to make a film that would expose their plight and hopefully bring about positive change," she said.
A portion of the proceeds from the film will go toward helping women around the world, and Mandrayar will make a donation to AAUW for each member who orders the movie after reading about it here. Order your copy today!
2007 Every Member Poll Highlights
Nearly 12,000 members responded to the 2007 Every Member Poll, and the results have been tabulated and analyzed. The poll affirms AAUW's position as an effective grassroots organization with a high degree of engagement at the branch level. Visit the member center on the AAUW website to see highlights from the survey.
AAUW on the Web
Join the Dialog
Have you visited AAUW’s new blog yet? Launched earlier this year, AAUW Dialog is a great place for members, staff, and others to talk about issues of importance to women and girls. Join in the Dialog today, and share your thoughts on a wide variety of topics: Is pay equity still an issue? Does being a feminist mean being anti-male? Does summer have you thinking about weddings, great books for the beach, or swimsuit anxiety? Let us know what’s on your mind! Visit AAUW Dialog directly from the AAUW homepage at www.aauw.org or go to http://blog-aauw.org.
Public Policy Updates
AAUW Partners with the League of Women Voters
AAUW and the League of Women Voters encourage AAUW branches and local Leagues to work together on voter outreach and education activities, as some localities have done in the past. By pooling resources, volunteers, and expertise, we can extend our reach and build on our history of collaboration and partnership. To access the League’s “one-stop shop” for election related information, visit www.vote411.org. Start preparing now to ensure that women’s voices and issues are heard on Election Day, Nov. 4, 2008, with AAUW’s Voter Education Campaign and Woman-to-Woman Voter Turnout manual.
Title IX Anniversary Celebrated
AAUW marked the 36th anniversary of the enactment of Title IX on June 23 by urging lawmakers to strengthen enforcement of the landmark legislation, despite ongoing efforts aimed at weakening it. Two bills, the High School Athletics Accountability Act (H.R. 901) and the High School Information Collection Act (S. 518), would do just that. These bills would make participation rates and expenditures for high school athletes available to the public, helping communities better enforce Title IX. AAUW was instrumental in the passage of Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in all educational programs and activities that receive federal funds — not just athletics. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 was co-authored by Rep. Patsy Mink (D-HI), an AAUW member. Read about Title IX’s other protections in AAUW’s position paper.
AAUW Marks Pay Equity Anniversaries
Thursday, May 29, marked the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s misstep in Ledbetter v. Goodyear, which severely limited the ability of victims of pay discrimination to exercise their rights. While the House acted quickly in passing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (H.R. 2831) in July 2007, the Senate narrowly failed to pass an April test vote to move on to final passage of the legislation. AAUW believes that the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act’s narrow legislative fix would more justly allow victims of pay discrimination to seek vindication, and AAUW and its members will not stop until the Senate gets it right by adopting this critical measure. AAUW also marked the 45th anniversary of the signing into law of the Equal Pay Act on June 10 by urging lawmakers to make real progress on closing the still-present gender wage gap with the passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 1338), which would strengthen the Equal Pay Act. AAUW thanks you for your repeated efforts on these pieces of legislation in the past, and we urge you to contact your members of Congress again to send a strong message that pay discrimination is not acceptable and that women need appropriate avenues to address such inequities when they do occur.
AAUW Notes
2007 Annual Report Available Online
Fiscal year 2007 financial statements for the Association and the AAUW Educational Foundation are available on the AAUW website. For further information, please e-mail connect@aauw.org.
Congratulations, 2008–09 Fellows and Grantees!
In April, the AAUW Educational Foundation awarded $4.5 million to 267 outstanding applicants for this year's fellowships and grants programs. The quality of applicants for these prestigious awards continues to be high, and competition is strong. Additional information and details about the new awardees will be announced in late summer.
2009–10 Fellowships and Grants Competition
Applications for the 2009–10 fellowships and grants programs will be online August 1. Visit the Fellowships and Grants website after August 1 to apply.
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