The Committee on University Women was appointed in 1969 to investigate "the status and opportunities open to academic women" on the University of Chicago campus. A subcommittee of the Committee of the Council of the University Senate, the COUW (also known as CUW) was established in response to controversy over the Department of Sociology's refusal to renew the contract of Assistant Professor Marlene Dixon.
Students claiming Dixon's politics and gender had prevented her reappointment staged a week-long sit-in at the administration buildings, but a review committee under the direction of Hanna Gray (later University President, 1978-1993) failed to reverse the decision. The administration sought to ease tensions on campus by appointing another committee, chaired by Bernice Neugarten of the Behavioral Science Department. After gathering extensive data from hearings, interviews, and surveys of both faculty and students, the Neugarten Committee published its report in May 1970. Their conclusions suggested the University of Chicago was no longer a place which encouraged female students or faculty, and called for a more intensive effort to recruit and retain women. The report disappointed some feminists on campus, who felt it a lukewarm effort to combat what they considered the entrenched sexist practices of University life.
After the Neugarten Report, the COUW continued its work under the direction of Erica Reiner of the Oriental Institute. She was succeeded in 1974 by Janice Spofford of the Biology Department. These committees continued to gather evidence, publish reports, and raise awareness about the issues facing women in the workforce.
From the guide to the University of Chicago. Committee of the Council of the University Senate. Committee on University Women. Records, 1969-1978, (Special Collections Research Center University of Chicago Library 1100 East 57th Street Chicago, Illinois 60637 U.S.A.)
