This year was action-packed for AAUW’s advocacy efforts. AAUW members reach spanned from the White House to Congress to statehouses across the country. As 2017 begins, let’s thank our members and supporters for continuing to carry out our mission to empower all women and girls.

Looking for a New Year’s resolution? Help grow AAUW Action Network by sharing these successes with friends and family members and urging them to advocate for issues affecting women and girls as a Two-Minute Activist. In the list below, you’ll see how much we have done together throughout the past year — and the more our advocacy community grows, the more we’ll be able to do in 2017!

200,000+ messages went out to state and federal legislators.

AAUW Action Network supporters in all 50 states made their voices heard on our priority issues. AAUW members contacted all 435 U.S. House offices and all 100 U.S. Senate offices throughout the year!

6 states passed new equal pay laws in 2016.

AAUW members played a key role in achieving new equal pay laws in California, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, and Utah. Yes, you read that right: Those are red, blue, and purple states taking action to close the gender pay gap — thanks to you and AAUW.

714
resource guides were delivered to Title IX coordinators in 29 states.

AAUW branches and supporters delivered critical new resources released by the U.S. Department of Education to make our schools safer and more equitable. This first tool kit of its kind was created at AAUW’s prompting, and now we are delivering the good news nationwide.

2,200
signatures collected on AAUW’s petition urging Anheuser-Busch to sign the White House Equal Pay Pledge.

Just three months after the pledge was released — on Women’s Equality Day — Anheuser-Busch signed the pledge. To date, more than 100 companies have signed on and committed to closing the gender pay gap.

44 years of Title IX.

AAUW presented Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) with our Title IX Champion award at a packed Capitol Hill reception in June. Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Reps. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Dina Titus (D-NV) also spoke to the crowd of 300 attendees about the positive effect Title IX has had in our country’s schools. AAUW has long been a protector and defender of Title IX, and your strong voices have helped to make this groundbreaking civil rights law a real success story.

AAUW Vice President of Government Relations Lisa Maatz presented Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) with the 2016 Title IX Champion award and a letter from AAUW of Nevada’s co-presidents.

900+ get-out-the-vote events organized by members in 46 states.

AAUW branches, Younger Women’s Task Force chapters, and student organizations hosted voter registration drives and candidate nights with AAUW’s It’s My Vote: I Will Be Heard resources.

19
AAUW members were elected to state legislatures.

We know of 19 AAUW members who were elected to state legislatures or state senates in 2016.