Education has always played a key role in social change, but it hasn’t always been equally available to both men and women. In the late 1800’s less than 1% of women between the ages of 18 to 24 were in college. College-educated women knew they were privileged, and decided to use that power to work for social justice. They created what became known as the American Association of University Women (AAUW). The San Francisco chapter is the oldest branch in California, and the third oldest in the country.
Kathleen Cha, former director of the AAUW, tells us more about this group’s history and the role it played for women in California.