FAU - Women's History Month

Celebrate Women's History Month by attending events and sessions dedicated to the past and continued success of All Women

Importance & Value

Women's History Month is a celebration and time of intentional recognition of women’s achievements and historical significance. Recognizing the achievements of women can have a huge impact on the development and confidence of girls and young women. It is hard to imagine yourself in a career when you don’t see role models that look like you in the fields you dream of contributing to.

Moreover, when women are excluded from contributing to society it has devastating effects. For example. due to a lack of women in medicine it took decades to uncover that women typically experience different symptoms for heart attacks than men (something Dr. Nanette Wenger spent much of her career researching) due to a lack of women in engineering and STEM, we did not consider how seat belts may not protect women’s bodies the same way (credited to Dr. Astrid Linder).

Since many of the achievements that women are responsible for are underrepresented and undervalued in our history books and literature, it is imperative that we spend time calling attention to what women/women have done and can still yet do to change our world!

History & Evolution

Started as a local celebration in California in 1978, the movement spread across the country as more communities became involved. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter declared the Week of March 8th (International Women's Day) as National Women's History Week, in response to lobbying by a determined collection of women/women’s groups. In 1987, almost a decade since the first celebrations in California, Congress officially designated March as Women's History Month.

Celebrating March 2023 - "Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories"

This 2023 Women's History Month, we celebrate the theme: “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.” This theme honors women in every community in all forms of media and storytelling who have dedicated their lives and talents to pursuing truth, producing art, and reflecting the human condition decade after decade. We celebrate the women who have long been instrumental in passing on our heritage through a wide variety of art and teaching, which has allowed us to expand our understanding and strengthen our connections with one another.

A diverse collection of FAU organizations and offices are planning events, learning opportunities, and ways to get involved -- all in celebration of the accomplishments and brilliance of women.