Welcome to AAUW Littleton-South Metro!
Our three focus areas for advancing gender equity for women and girls:
NOVEMBER PROGRAM
For more about the presenter, click here.
We are still helping Sheridan High School with toiletries, warm clothing, and sanitary products. Bring any contributions to the branch meeting!
UPCOMING PROGRAMS
December 10, 2025 – Branch Luncheon – Lansdowne Arms in Highlands Ranch
January 10, 2026 – Movie about Katherine Graham
February 7, 2026 – Public Policy Day: Higher Education in Colorado
October 2&3, 2026 – AAUW COLORADO 100th Anniversary Celebration
OCTOBER’S PRESIDENT’S POST
WHY SEND $$ TO AAUW?
WOMEN NOW DOMINATE THE ACADEMIC WORLD.
When the founders of AAUW formed the group, women rarely attained a college education. Few women held a graduate degree. Initially, the purpose of AAUW was to address the limited opportunities for women in higher education and the workplace by creating a community for college-educated women, dispelling myths about their capabilities, and advocating for greater educational and professional access.
In 2025, it appears that the goals of the organization have been met. BUT women still earn less than men. In the US, a woman earns about 85 cents for every dollar earned by a man.
In the 21st century U.S., women have surpassed men in educational attainment, out-performing them in college enrollment, graduation rates, and overall educational achievement. BUT, while women earn more degrees than men, a wage gap persists, and there are still fewer women than men in specific fields like STEM.
A woman with a master’s degree may earn about the same as a man with a bachelor’s degree. The gap varies by education level. Surprisingly, women with a college degree earn 24.2% less than men. The gap is smaller for those with only a high school diploma (20.1%) and for those with an advanced degree ($15.66 less per hour).
Yet another surprise is that women hold a larger share of college indebtedness than men.
A quick review of the statistics reveals that, no matter how successful women have been in achieving the educational goal imagined by our founders, we are still falling behind men economically.
AAUW has been in the forefront of efforts to eliminate this disparity in pay. A quick check of the national website reveals the following goals in the area of economic security:
- Pay Equity
- Ensuring equal pay and benefits for work of equivalent value, and addressing root causes of occupational segregation
- Addressing the multiple factors that reinforce the gender and racial pay gaps, through increasing salary transparency, eliminating salary history to set future wages, increasing the minimum wage, and other policies that mitigate the gender pay gap
- Enforcing and expanding employment discrimination statutes
- Mitigation of Caregiving:
- Improving access to paid sick leave, medical leave, safe leave, affordable child and elder care, and other policies that mitigate the unequal burden on women for caregiving responsibilities.
- Retirement Safety Nets:
- Strengthening Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid and oppose any efforts to undermine them, including privatization and block grant proposals
- Reproductive Freedom:
- Ensuring affordable access to contraception and abortion care for all women regardless of location
That is why we still need AAUW. We may have won the academic battle…but we have more work to do. Consider helping our daughters, our granddaughters, even our great granddaughters through AAUW. Check out the ways you can contribute at aauw.org. 
AAUW NATIONAL HAS NEW WEBINARS
ON SOCIAL JUSTICE, ADVOCACY, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT,
STEM & MEMBERSHIP
SEE THEM HERE
AAUW’s 2025 STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
AAUW’s 2025 Strategic Priorities advances equity for women & girls by championing success in higher education-a vital pathway to economic security. For over 140 years, AAUW has led the fight for gender equity through advocacy, funding, and collective action.
Explore the STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES & UPDATES
Interested in keeping on top of what the Colorado legislature is doing and how you can get involved? Visit the AAUW Colorado website for Legislative Priorities and Updates:
AAUW Colorado 2025 Legislative Priorities
Littleton High School Scholarship Winners
Carolyn C. and Jill S., co-presidents of AAUW Colorado, present STEM awards to LHS Students Sam D. (L) and Sofia C. (R). Congratulations to these amazing young women!
Sheridan High School Scholarship Winners
President Mimi I. presented scholarships to Emily R. (pictured) and Galilea L., students at Sheridan High School. Emily plans to attend MSU (Metro) and Galilea plans to attend Red Rocks. Congratulations to Emily and Galilea!
Sheridan Early Childhood Center
Volunteers at Head Start were honored with a breakfast on May 1. The AAUW Book Bag program attempts to rotate a library of books for the children and their parents to enjoy together.
Equal Pay Day Calendar 2025
- All Women’s Equal Pay Day – March 25th
- Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Women’s Equal Pay Day – April 7th
- Moms’ Equal Pay Day – May 6th
- LGBTQIA+ Equal Pay Awareness Day – June 17th
- Black Women’s Equal Pay Day – July 10th
- Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) Women’s Equal Pay Day – August 28th
- Latina Equal Pay Day – October 8th
- Disabled Women’s Equal Pay Day – October 23rd
- Native Women’s Equal Pay Day – November 18th
SHERIDAN HIGH SCHOOL NEW PRIORITY NEEDS:
- SHAMPOO, CONDITIONER, TOOTHBRUSHES, TOOTHPASTE
- FALL JACKETS/ATTIRE
- FEMININE HYGIENE PRODUCTS: “Always” Brand preferred.
Donations can be dropped off at Barb M’s work address 9-5 on weekdays (Mon-Fri), 3898 South Jason Street, Englewood, or left on her front porch anytime. Refer to the latest Roster for Barb’s home address.
