Membership Benefits

What is one of the greatest benefits of belonging to AAUW? Knowing that you belong to an organization that keeps the promotion of “education and equity for all women and girls, lifelong education and positive societal change” as its main focus.

Let’s pause and take a look at what that means in terms of commitment, action and returns:

COMMITMENT

When a Harvard physician claimed, more than a century ago, that higher education jeopardized women’s health, AAUW conducted research that proved he was wrong. When the number of female college students grew, AAUW funded fellowships to support them. When girls and boys were treated differently in school, AAUW research put gender bias on the national agenda.

What have we done lately on behalf of all women and girls?

    • When the Department of Education established a commission that threatened to dismantle the enforcement provisions of Title IX, the law banning sexual discrimination in education, AAUW mobilized a nationwide outcry to help protect this landmark civil rights law.
    • We awarded over $4 million in grants and fellowships to over 250 extraordinary women for the 2006-2007 academic year.
    • We represented women and girls by protecting Social Security from privatization, promoting a fair and independent judiciary, and advocating for full funding of the No Child Left Behind Act, improved student aid in the Higher Education Act, and better gender equity provisions in the Perkins Vocational Education Act.
    • In 2006 we published our nationally acclaimed research: Drawing The Line: Sexual Harassment on Campus., followed in 2007 by Behind the Pay Gap, the report that brought pay equity to the forefront, showing that just one year out of college, women working full time already earn less that their male colleagues, even when they work in the same field. Ten years after graduation, the pay gap widens.
    • And our branches carry this work to the grassroots – thousands of programs every year are held throughout America, again, with the goal of promoting education and equity.

Since its first meeting in 1881, the American Association of University Women has been a catalyst for change. Today, with approximately 100,000 members, more than 1,000 branches, and 500 college/university partners committed to education and equity, AAUW members across the country contribute to a more promising future and provide a powerful voice for women and girls — a voice that cannot and will not be ignored. You strengthen that voice.

ACTION

AAUW not only provides information, it provides opportunities for its members to take action, by —

    • Providing a national network of like-minded individuals
    • Offering tools for grassroots activism
    • Briefing policy-makers on women’s and girls’ issues
    • Our members taking “Two Minutes” to send a communiqué directly to their congress person on issues of concern to women and girls
    • Sponsoring conventions and student conferences, where participants grow personally and advance AAUW’s mission
    • Launching branch and national programs that touch women and girls of diverse backgrounds
    • Offering nearly $4 million a year in fellowships and grants to graduate women through our Educational Foundation
    • Supporting plaintiffs challenging sex discrimination in colleges and universities through our Legal Advocacy Fund
    • Making a global impact through international initiatives and partnerships

RETURNS

As a member, you make a difference in the lives of women and girls, AND you benefit by receiving

    • A powerful local and national network for personal and professional growth and advocacy for equity
    • Updates on critical women’s and civil rights issues so you can make informed decisions
    • Educational and professional development activities to hone your personal and leadership skills
    • Branch programs to improve your community: dialogues on social justice, conferences for women considering a return to school or career change, voter education, and Sister-to-Sister Summits for teens
    • The opportunity to support and be the first to learn about research on women, girls, and education
    • Free research reports and other benefits found only in the Member Center on AAUW’s website
    • An award-winning magazine on today’s women and the issues they care about
    • Exclusive member affinity programs and advantages, such as discounted merchandise, health and auto insurance, and low-interest rate credit card.

As an AAUW member, you make an impact!