Advocacy

A Legacy of Advocacy

The Society’s stance has evolved from largely avoiding public policy advocacy in its early years to actively advocating today for policies ensuring equal opportunities and advancement for women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) classrooms and careers.

Explore SWE's Legacy Below

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SWE’s original bylaws, adopted in 1952, expressly forbade the Society from commenting on political or policy issues to protect the Society’s tax-exempt status as well as to avoid being seen as radical during the country’s anti-communist Red Scare in the 1950s.

Hicks Letter
In a September 19, 1951, letter to the editor of The New York Times, SWE president Beatrice Hicks lamented employers limiting women engineers’ work hours due to misinterpretation of federal labor laws. This was one of the few policy issues SWE commented on in the early years.
Mayer Letter
SWE San Francisco Section member Olive Mayer wrote a March 5, 1957, letter to SWE President Mickey Gerla, arguing that SWE should advocate for issues affecting members, including laws related to equal pay, community property rights, professional licensing, and infrastructure.
IRS Ruling
After SWE narrowly defended its tax-exempt status following a 1959 IRS tax code revision, Vice President Patricia Brown explained in the March 1961 SWE Newsletter that the Society could not work to influence any legislation affecting engineers or women.

SWE endorsed the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1973, believing that women’s place in engineering was tied to their place in American society. The primary provision of the amendment read: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.”

ERA Boycott
The Society’s Council of Section Representatives voted in 1977 to boycott states that had not ratified the ERA, although some members argued SWE would have more impact by sending members to non-ratified states to advocate for the amendment.
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Conference delegates call for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment at the 1977 National Women's Conference in Houston, Texas. The amendment failed in 1982, when it was not ratified by the requisite number of states.
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Appointed by U.S. President Jimmy Carter, SWE President and Delegate-at-Large Arminta Harness sits in the audience at the 1977 National Women’s Conference in Houston.

The Society was reintroduced to the public policy sphere in 1994, when members were invited to Capitol Hill to testify on the findings of SWE’s “National Survey on Women and Men Engineers.”

testimony
Past President Suzanne Jenniches and Patricia Eng, third and second from right, testify at a 1994 U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Energy hearing. They reported on SWE’s 1993 National Survey on Women and Men Engineers report and urged Congress to pass the Gender Equity in Education Act.
SWE WEPAN AWIS
From left, Kristy Schloss, past President Anna Salguero, Cam Kersey, past President Jill Tietjen, Judy Kersey, past President Susan Whatley, Jong-On Hahm, and past Presidents Peggy Layne and Isabelle French gather during a June 2000 meeting with AWIS and WEPAN. They discussed recommendations from the Congressional Commission on the Advancement of Women and Minorities in Science, Engineering, and Technology.
CAWMSET
SWE provided input for the final report of the Commission on the Advancement of Women and Minorities in Science, Engineering, and Technology Development (CAWMSET), published in 2000.

Through a partnership with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, SWE hired a Washington representative in 2005 to advocate on Capitol Hill for policies related to technological literacy, gender equity in STEM fields, and Title IX’s application to STEM education.

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Barbara Bogue, fourth from left, represents SWE in a 2009 U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology and Subcommittee on Research and Science Education hearing.
Right Place
An article in the Fall 2007 issue of SWE Magazine reports on past President Peggy Layne’s testimony to a U.S. House Labor subcommittee hearing on Title IX. She discussed SWE’s role on the steering committee of the new Congressional Diversity and Innovation Caucus.
Horting Rogers Advocacy
During a public policy internship in October 2023, SWE collegiate member Lainey Rogers joined SWE CEO and Executive Director Karen Horting in Washington, D.C. to share SWE’s expertise on engineering workforce reentry programs in support of the bipartisan STEM RESTART (Restoring Employment Skills Through Targeted Assistance, Re-Entry, and Training) Act.

Since 2008, the Society has empowered members to advocate for policies supporting a vibrant and inclusive STEM workforce by sharing their personal experiences and SWE’s groundbreaking research with legislators.

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Eight members spoke to their legislators about Title IX’s application to STEM fields during Congressional Visits Day in 2009. Back row, from left, FY09 SWE President Virginia Connolly, Erin McGinnis, and Cathy Pieronek. Front row, from left: Melissa Tata, Forough Ghahramani, Nora Lin, Siddika Demir, and Stacey DelVecchio.
Congressional Visits Training
Della Cronin, left, SWE’s representative in Washington, D.C., leads a training session to prepare more than 100 SWE members and staff to advocate for policies supporting women in STEM fields during Congressional Visits Day in March 2024.
Congressional Visits
More than 150 members and staff gather for Congressional Visits Day in March 2019.