Coordinating Committee on Women in the Historical Profession

Coordinating Committee on Women in the Historical Profession (CCWHP) was organized in December 1969 during the annual convention of the American Historical Association in Washington, D.C. In 1974 some members of the CCWHP organized the Conference Group on Women's History to deal specifically with issues related to women's history, while the CCWHP has focused on questions of professional status.

From the description of Records, 1970-1979 (inclusive). (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 232006987

The Coordinating Committee on Women in the Historical Profession was founded at an annual meeting of the American Historical Association in Washington, DC, in December 1969. The organizing meeting was held in response to a letter circulated by Berenice A. Carroll requesting that American Historical Association council take a number of steps to improve the status of women in the historical profession.

Twenty-five historians signed up at the first meeting of Coordinating Committee on Women in the Historical Profession. At that time, participants agreed that the purpose of the committee would be to encourage the recruitment of women into the historical profession and to advance the status of women at all levels within that profession; to oppose discrimination against women in the profession; and to encourage and help develop research and instruction in the field of women's history.

At the first meeting of December 27, 1969, seven participants, including five faculty members, one graduate student, and one undergraduate student agreed to serve as members of a temporary steering committee to develop the structure of a more permanent organization. Berenice Carroll and Gerda Lerner agreed to serve as co-chairs, while the group chose Hilda Smith to act as secretary-treasurer. Other steering committee members included Jo Tice Bloom, Linda K. Kerber, Edythe Lutzker, Constance A. Myers, and Sherrin M. Wyntjes.

The day-to-day operations of the Committee were conducted by the officers of the organization and through the decisions and actions of the steering committee, which held its own meetings during various national conventions of the American Historical Association, Organization of American Historians, and the Berkshire Conference on the History of Women. The direction of the organization consequently reflected both the voting of the membership at national meetings and the wishes of similar regional associations. Membership was open to all persons interested in Committee objectives. The organization also published a newsletter to keep members informed of committee actions and developments in the profession.

The organization was affiliated with the Conference Group on Women’s History, which became an independent group in 1974 and which functioned to advance the field of women's history. The two groups shared leadership positions, membership, and cooperative publication arrangements until approximately 1995, when the Coordinating Committee on Women in the Historical Profession merged with the Conference Group on Women's History to form the Coordinating Council for Women in History. The Coordinating Council for Women in History is a voluntary, educational non-profit committed to exploring the diverse experiences and histories of all women. Its primary goals are to educate men and women on the status of women in the historical profession and to promote research and interpretation in areas of women's history. It further seeks to broaden both the organization of women historians and the study of women's history to represent as fully as possible the diversity of women in the United States and internationally. The Coordinating Council for Women in History is affiliated with the American Historical Association, the National Coordinating Committee for the Promotion of History, the International Federation for Research in Women's History, and other associations of professional historians.

From the guide to the Records of the Coordinating Committee on Women in the Historical Profession, 1966-2009, (Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute)