AAUW Research
In 1885, a group of AAUW members conducted a survey that debunked the popular theory that higher education was bad for women's health. That first study established AAUW's commitment to cutting-edge research relevant to the struggle for gender equity in school and in society.
Today, AAUW conducts groundbreaking research that draws national attention to issues of gender equity in education and the workplace; influences policy-makers as well as educators, parents, and students; and, most importantly, serves as a catalyst for action. Recent reports address topics such as the pay gap between men and women, economic security of older women, sexual harassment on college campuses, and gender equity in science and engineering education.
Current Research Reports
Graduating to the Pay Gap - November, 2012 < NEW!
Explores the earnings difference between female and male college graduates who are working full time one year after graduation. The report, which uses the latest nationally representative data, compares apples to apples by looking at the pay gap after controlling for various factors known to affect earnings, such as occupation, college major, and hours worked. It also examines one immediate effect that the pay gap has on many women: the heavy burden of student loan debt.
Crossing the Line: Sexual Harassment at School - November 15, 2011
This survey presents new evidence on sexual harassment, including cyber-harassment, in middle and high schools. It examines sexual harassment as reported in a nationwide survey of students in grades 7–12 conducted in May and June 2011.
While educational gains for women are often credited with helping to shrink the gender gap in earnings, this report reveals that women typically earn 77 cents for every $1 that their male counterparts earn. And while men typically earn more than women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupations, as in other fields, the pay gap tends to be smaller in STEM fields.
Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
An in-depth yet accessible profiles of eight key research findings that point to environmental and social barriers – including stereotypes, gender bias and the climate of science and engineering departments in colleges and universities – that continue to block women’s participation and progress in science, technology, engineering, and math.
A comprehensive look at girls’ educational achievement during the past 35 years, paying special attention to the relationship between girls’ and boys’ progress.
Research released in April 2007 by AAUW shows that just one year out of college, women working full time already earn less than their male colleagues, even when they work in the same field.