Events

2020 Annual Meeting

Your AAR staff continues to work toward holding the Annual Meeting in Boston, Nov. 21-24, 2020. We are aware of the uncertainty and contradictory projections related to the COVID-19 pandemic and with health and safety as a priority, we will continue monitoring the guidance of governments and health experts as we plan and make decisions. Should any changes need to be made related to the 2020 Annual Meeting, we will promptly notify you.

2020 Regional Meetings

Open Registration:

All remaining regional meetings for 2020 have been canceled

Status of Women in the Profession Committee

Charge:  The Status of Women in the Profession Committee recommends policies and good practices to assure the full access and academic freedom of women within the Academy and develops programs to enhance the status of women in the profession.

Composition:   Up to six members

Term of Service:  Four years, non-renewable

Meeting Schedule:

  • One in-person meeting at the Annual Meeting in November
  • Meetings in fall and winter via Zoom; additional Zoom meetings as needed
  • In February and October every other year, committee members meet in person with the other status committees for a summit. The next summit is scheduled for early 2019.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Members of the Status of Women in the Profession Committee are expected to participate in the following:

Timeline of Activities:

While not required, it is anticipated that the members of the SWP Committee will engage in the yearlong mentoring program and the mentoring lunch.

Staff Liaison Job Title Phone Number
Sandra Stevens

Committee Activities:

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Work/Life Balance Project

The Committee on the Status of Women of the American Academy of Religion would like to invite you to participate in an examination of issues surrounding work/life balance. The committee is planning to develop a guide on this subject and is hoping that small groups all over the U.S. might meet to generate ideas about the topics and challenges that such a guide should cover and the potential solutions that it might lay out. You will find here our invitation to participate, guidelines for setting up a group, and reports from our initial meetings.

Work/Life Balance Resources:

Academic Advice Column

Ask "Academic Abby" about what's bugging you right now. Several women in the profession have volunteered to answer your questions about professional concerns. Contact them!

Sexual Harassment Policy

A Guide for Women in Religion:  Making Your Way from A to Z, revised ed.  Edited by Mary Hunt, Kecia Ali, Monique Moultrie, Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.  For more information, visit Palgrave Macmillan and search for ISBN: 9781137485724. The book is available in hardcover, paperback, and e-publication formats. 

Please visit the Member Discounts page for how you can receive a discount. Discounted copies of the book will be on sale at the Women's Mentoring Luncheon at the 2016 Annual Meeting.

Cover: A Guide for Women in Religion

Annual Meeting Events:

Mentoring Roundtable
Each year, the Status of Women in the Profession Committee organizes a luncheon during the Annual Meeting. Several mid-career and senior AAR scholars gather with newer and emerging scholars in the field to discuss pertinent issues like choosing an adviser, getting published, contract negotiation, and the challenge of balancing work and personal commitments. The lunch is cosponsored with the Status of Racial and Ethnic Minorities and the Women's Caucus. Registration is required and the lunch costs $13. Click here for more information on the Mentoring Lunch, including registration information.

Special Topics Forums
The Status of Women in the Profession Committee holds at least one special topics forum on a subject of concern to women in religion. You can search the current year’s program in the online Program Book.

We will continue our initiative to increase the visibility of feminist scholars of religion on issues of public concern. Feel free to contact the committee's staff liaison with other ideas and topics:

  • 2017: Women and Vulnerability in the Academy
  • 2016: Power Dynamics and Gender in the Academy
  • 2015: What Next? Institutional Changes in Work/Life Balance
  • 2014: Work/Life Balance? Relationships and Academic Life
  • 2013: Religion and the War on Women
  • 2012: Beyond Identity Politics
  • 2011: Mentoring Matters (Part I and II)
  • 2010: Overcoming Institutional Resistance to Underrepresented Scholarship
  • 2009: Got Life Yet? A Structural Analysis
  • 2008: Making Room, Making Sense: Re-visioning our Fields, Re-bordering Scholarship
  • 2007: Fifty Years of Women in the AAR and SBL: The Battles of Yesterday and the Challenges of Tomorrow
  • 2006: Women Speaking to Religion and Leadership: Honoring the Work of Mercy Oduyoye
  • 2005: Got Life? Finding Balance and Making Boundaries in the Academy
     

Childcare at the Annual Meeting
Through the work of the committee, childcare will again be on offer at the Annual Meeting. Please see the Annual Meeting General Information page for more details.

Religious Studies News

"Not for Women Only" is a biannual feature published in the Religious Studies News, written by members of the committee. "Not for Women Only" examines the political and professional issues that affect women—but not just women—in the profession.

The committee also published a "Focus" feature on Work/Life Balance in the October 2010 issue of Religious Studies News:

Also of Interest: