Association for the Advancement of Women
A nineteenth-century American women's organization that promoted education, professional opportunity, intellectual exchange, and coordinated reform through annual congresses.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
The Association for the Advancement of Women (A.A.W.) was an American women's organization founded in 1873 to encourage cooperation among women engaged in education, science, literature, professional work, philanthropy, reform, and other fields of public activity. It emerged during the early growth of the women's club movement, when women working independently in emerging professions and reform campaigns sought regular opportunities to exchange ideas, present research, discuss social conditions, and coordinate practical action. The organization grew out of initiatives associated with Sorosis, a women's club founded in New York. Sorosis had called for a broader Congress of Women as early as 1868, and in 1873 its leaders revived the proposal. Charlotte Beebe Wilbour, then president of Sorosis, helped organize the call for a gathering intended to bring together representative women concerned with higher education, improved laws, professional advancement, industrial training, philanthropy, and related questions. The proposed congress was not conceived merely as a ceremonial meeting. Its organizers intended it to establish a continuing association whose annual gatherings would provide a national forum for serious discussion and cooperation. The first congress took place at the Union League Theatre in New York from October 15 to 17, 1873. Mary A. Livermore was elected president. The association subsequently held annual congresses in a succession of American cities, including Chicago, Syracuse, Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Des Moines, Denver, Madison, St. Paul, Baltimore, Memphis, Knoxville, Louisville, Atlanta, and New Orleans. A congress was also held in Toronto, reflecting the organization's broader North American reach. These meetings included formal papers, debates, executive sessions, reports from state representatives, and discussions of educational, scientific, artistic, ethical, social, political, and industrial subjects. Maria Mitchell, the astronomer and Vassar professor, presided over the second congress in Chicago in 1874 and was reelected at the third congress in Syracuse in 1875. Julia Ward Howe was another prominent leader and served as president for many years. The association's membership and meeting programs included many notable women, but its importance was not limited to individual prominence. Its congresses created recurring opportunities for women from different states and occupations to exchange information and develop networks at a time when access to national professional institutions was restricted. The A.A.W. also helped normalize the formation of local women's clubs. Congresses frequently encouraged the creation of local organizations devoted to study, mutual improvement, civic engagement, and charitable work. Through these networks, the association contributed to the wider institutional development of women's clubs, which became an important feature of American social and intellectual life in the late nineteenth century. By the 1880 congress, the organization emphasized the value of discussion following each formal paper and the practical importance of executive sessions. State representatives could report on educational and social developments in their regions, allowing members to compare local conditions and share methods. The association thereby promoted not only individual intellectual development but also a sense of national cooperation and common purpose among women. The proceedings and papers of the congresses were partly preserved in substantial published volumes, including reports and souvenir proceedings. These publications documented the subjects considered and the actions taken, giving the organization a lasting historical record. As numerous specialized and general women's organizations were established during the late nineteenth century, the A.A.W.'s coordinating role became less necessary. Historical accounts indicate that by 1902 the proliferation of other women's organizations had made further work by the association unnecessary. No reliable evidence in the supplied sources establishes a precise formal dissolution date, but the organization is generally treated as defunct after this period.
History
The Association for the Advancement of Women developed from the nineteenth-century effort to create stronger cooperation among women pursuing education, reform, professional work, and public service. Sorosis, the New York women's club, was central to this effort. It proposed a Congress of Women in the late 1860s and renewed the initiative in 1873 under the leadership of Charlotte Beebe Wilbour and other organizers. During the spring and summer of 1873, Sorosis discussed a congress intended to promote fellowship and cooperation among women engaged in similar work. Wilbour urged the circulation of letters and printed calls to women interested in higher education and other questions affecting women's lives. The organizers sought participants from a wide range of fields, including teaching, medicine, law, authorship, editing, art, business, philanthropy, and religious work. Their stated ambition was to create a continuing association rather than hold a single conference. A formal call was issued in September 1873, inviting women to a Congress of Women in New York and proposing the creation of an Association for the Advancement of Women. The organizers reported a substantial response from across the United States and Europe. Sorosis contributed to the expenses, while additional subscriptions were solicited. The first congress met at the Union League Theatre in New York on October 15–17, 1873, and elected Mary A. Livermore as president. The association quickly adopted an annual congress format. The second congress was held in Chicago in October 1874, with Maria Mitchell elected president, and the third took place in Syracuse, New York, in October 1875, where Mitchell was reelected. Later meetings were held in numerous American cities and in Toronto. This geographic rotation enabled women from different regions to present local reports and participate in a wider intellectual network. The association's work covered a broad range of subjects. Its meetings addressed science, art, education, philosophy, ethics, political and social science, industrial training, philanthropy, professional development, and the general improvement of women's legal and economic circumstances. It provided a setting in which formal papers could be followed by open discussion. By the 1880 congress, these exchanges and the executive sessions were regarded as central to the organization's value. Representatives from different states could report on educational and social progress, compare experiences, and communicate methods that could be adapted elsewhere. The A.A.W. operated during the formative period of the American women's club movement. Its congresses often stimulated the creation of local clubs dedicated to study, self-improvement, civic work, and charitable activity. In this way, the organization functioned as both a national forum and a catalyst for local institution-building. Its membership included many prominent women, and Julia Ward Howe was associated with the organization as a long-serving president. The association preserved parts of its work through published reports and volumes of congress papers. These records documented presentations, discussions, and organizational actions. Over time, however, the number and variety of women's organizations increased substantially. By 1902, historical accounts considered the A.A.W.'s coordinating role no longer necessary because many larger and more specialized organizations had emerged. The supplied sources do not identify a precise legal dissolution date, but the association did not continue as a significant national organization after this period.
- 1902
Work regarded as no longer necessary
[1]Historical accounts stated that the growth of numerous other women's organizations had made the association's further work unnecessary.
- 1880
Congressional discussion and state reporting emphasized
[1]The association's congresses increasingly highlighted discussion after papers and executive sessions in which state representatives shared educational and social developments.
- 1875
Third congress in Syracuse
[1]The third congress took place in Syracuse, New York, and Maria Mitchell was reelected president.
- 1874
Second congress in Chicago
[1]The association held its second congress in Chicago, where Maria Mitchell became president.
- 1873
Association organized in New York
[1]Sorosis and allied organizers circulated a call for a continuing association devoted to cooperation and advancement among women working in education, professional fields, reform, and public service.
- 1873
First congress held
[1]The inaugural congress met at New York's Union League Theatre from October 15 to 17. Mary A. Livermore was elected president.
- 1868
Early call for a Congress of Women
[1]Sorosis issued an early proposal for a Congress of Women, establishing the organizational idea that later developed into the Association for the Advancement of Women.
Products and positioning
A national, intellectually oriented women's organization focused on cooperative advancement rather than commercial products. It positioned its congresses as practical forums where women could exchange knowledge, develop professional and civic networks, and identify methods for improving educational, social, legal, and economic conditions.
Conference and intellectual forum · 1873
Annual Congress of the Association for the Advancement of Women
The association's principal activity was a recurring congress that brought together women from different states and professional or reform backgrounds. Sessions featured papers, discussion, executive deliberations, and reports on educational and social conditions. Meetings rotated among cities, helping build connections beyond New York and encouraging the establishment of local women's clubs.
Publication
Congress proceedings and reports
The organization published or contributed to substantial volumes recording papers presented, discussions, reports, and actions taken at its congresses. These publications extended the reach of meetings beyond attendees and preserved evidence of the association's intellectual and organizational work.
Sources1 sources
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