This thesis examines the history of the University of Queensland Women Graduates’ Association (UQWGA) from 1920 to 1979. The association was established by a small group of women graduates in Brisbane in 1920, and from that time they maintained links with graduate women throughout Australia and internationally. These links were formalised in 1922 when the Australian Federation of University Women was formed and immediately affiliated with the International Federation of University Women. The UQWGA aimed to connect and support graduate women locally as well as promote the values of the IFUW which included international friendship and peace. The history of women’s organisations in Australia has attracted little scholarly attention. This thesis contributes to the growing body of research on the women’s movement from the end of World War I to the emergence of women’s liberation in the 1970s. The members of the UQWGA believed that through their university education they had developed the skills and knowledge to contribute to the betterment of society. University education had also instilled in them a sense of privileged that was a motivating factor in their mobilisation. The UQWGA provided a supportive and stimulating space for graduate women that encouraged their endeavours in professional and public life. The actions and approach of the UQWGA reflect those of other mainstream women’s organisation up to the mid-1960s. The organisation promoted its agenda through ‘polite lobbying,’ utilising methods that were respectful of established systems and processes. The UQWGA established and maintained supportive relationships with other organisations, both men’s and women’s, and with the University of Queensland. The association was primarily concerned with issues of the status and position of graduate women, but members felt that their contribution would also be valued in the wider community. This thesis aims to locate the work of the UQWGA in the context of the women’s movement in Australia, including how it reacted to the altering women’s movement of the 1970s when it changed its name to the Australian Federation of University Women – Queensland.

This thesis examines the history of the University of Queensland Women Graduates’ Association (UQWGA) from 1920 to 1979. The association was established by a small group of women graduates in Brisbane in 1920, and from that time they maintained links with graduate women throughout Australia and internationally. These links were formalised in 1922 when the Australian Federation of University Women was formed and immediately affiliated with the International Federation of University Women. The UQWGA aimed to connect and support graduate women locally as well as promote the values of the IFUW which included international friendship and peace. The history of women’s organisations in Australia has attracted little scholarly attention. This thesis contributes to the growing body of research on the women’s movement from the end of World War I to the emergence of women’s liberation in the 1970s. The members of the UQWGA believed that through their university education they had developed the skills and knowledge to contribute to the betterment of society. University education had also instilled in them a sense of privileged that was a motivating factor in their mobilisation. The UQWGA provided a supportive and stimulating space for graduate women that encouraged their endeavours in professional and public life. The actions and approach of the UQWGA reflect those of other mainstream women’s organisation up to the mid-1960s. The organisation promoted its agenda through ‘polite lobbying,’ utilising methods that were respectful of established systems and processes. The UQWGA established and maintained supportive relationships with other organisations, both men’s and women’s, and with the University of Queensland. The association was primarily concerned with issues of the status and position of graduate women, but members felt that their contribution would also be valued in the wider community. This thesis aims to locate the work of the UQWGA in the context of the women’s movement in Australia, including how it reacted to the altering women’s movement of the 1970s when it changed its name to the Australian Federation of University Women – Queensland.

Diss. Uppsala : Univ., 2004.