Celebrating Women’s History Month: The History and Statistics of Women at Butler University

To celebrate Women’s History Month, the Carillon wants to recognize Butler’s history regarding women’s rights in education as well as ask Butler’s feminist organization, the Gender Equity Movement, how they are celebrating this historic month.

Lucy Olmstead | lolmstead@butler.edu, Cassandra Stec | cmstec@butler.edu

Looking back in time, Butler University has some impressive history to be recognized regarding women’s rights and gender equality. Initially starting as Northwestern Christian University, Butler University was founded in 1855 by members of Disciples of Christ Church. The university was later named after the individual founder, Ovid Butler, who was described as a political and social activist with an elaborate way of thinking. The university was the third in the United States to admit women on an equal basis with men and the first university to endow a chair for female professorship.

Upon their admission, women were delegated to a more “feminine” academic track with courses on sewing, French and music. However, after the admission–and expressive frustration over available courses–of Ovid Butler’s daughter, Demia, tracks were no longer gendered and she was able to take mathematics and Greek courses like her brother. 

After Demia died in 1867, Ovid Butler endowed the Demia Butler Chair of English Literature to honor her. This chair was the first endowed position at an American university designated specifically for a female professor. 

In 1969, Demia was established as Butler University’s first officially sponsored feminist organization. There have been a variety of iterations and focuses of the organization, depending on prominent world and local topics and struggles. However, in early 2020 the organization was renamed to the Gender Equity Movement (GEM). This was due to information being unearthed by Dr. Vivian Deno, about Demia Butler. The information detailed that Demia was a racist individual–especially in letters to her brother discussing the Civil War and their father. Due to this, the organization’s leadership feeling uncomfortable about calling the feminist organization intersectional when the Demia was found to actually be racist. In addition to GEM standing for Gender Equity Movement, the organization also used this acronym as a homage to the first Black woman to graduate from Butler University: Gertrude Amelia Mahorney.

Mahorney graduated from Butler University in 1877 and later was awarded her master’s degree from Butler as well. In addition to translating stories in German for local newspapers, Mahorney began a teaching career in the Indianapolis area. She began her teaching career at Indianapolis Public School (IPS) No. 23 on the northwest side of the city. Additionally, she later taught German at IPS No. 24. In 1906, Mahorney resigned from IPS to study in Pittsburgh and teach at a trade school in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. However, upon her return to Indianapolis, she was only offered a substitute teaching position at IPS, prompting her to move to Rockville, Indiana where she taught children there as the community’s sole teacher for four years. The later half of Mahorney’s life, after she moved to Rockville, is mostly unknown. Mahorney’s graduation photo can be seen on a commemorative plaque in Jordan Hall on the first floor near the President’s Office. 

Audrey Erickson, sophomore political science and combined criminology and sociology major, is the current president of GEM. She shared what the organization has done thus far to honor women during this month.

“On International Women’s Day this year, we shared the important women that have modeled excellence in our lifetimes,” Erickson said. “Including: Zendaya, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and Jane Addams.” 

While important to celebrate International Women’s Day as well as Women’s History Month, Erickson thinks that it is important to recognize Women’s History all year round and not just in the designated month. 

“Personally, Women’s History Month is about celebrating the accomplishments women have made and the often-underappreciated work that women do.” Erickson said.

In addition to Demia and Mahorney, Butler is also known for being the first university in the country to open a chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho, a sorority for African American women, in 1922. Sigma Gamma Rho is one of the Divine Nine, one of the nine historically Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs) that make up the National Pan-Hellenic Council; they are the only sorority to be founded at a primarily white institution. The sorority celebrated their 100th anniversary this year at Butler University with a ceremony where they were awarded the Ovid Butler Founder’s Award. 

Though Butler has made great strides when it comes to women in the classroom, the university has only had one female president. Dr. Gwen Fountain served as the interim president from 2000-2001.

While there are a-ways to go, Butler is continually making strides with gender equity and equality both in and out of the classroom. According to UniversityStats, of the 5,544 students enrolled at Butler University, 61% are women; compared to the US average of 56% female students, Butler has a lower gender diversity than other US colleges and is thus slightly less inclusive of men. This statistic of 50%+ admitted women each year, dates all the way back to 1855 when the university opened. Currently, the full-time faculty gender distribution sits at 50% women, while the part-time distribution sits at 52%.

Recently, Dr. Brooke Barnett was named Provost of the University and the Vice President of Academic Affairs. Dr. Barnett has a B.A. in English and Communication Studies from Georgetown College, a Master of Arts in Journalism from Indiana University Bloomington and a Doctorate in Mass Communications with a concentration in law in visual communications from Indiana University Bloomington. She came to Butler in 2019 as a professor and the Dean of the College of Communications. In April of 2021 she was named Interim Provost and VP for Academic Affairs before gaining the official Provost title in March of 2022.

Dr. Barnett is not the only high-ranking woman at Butler. Butler University’s President’s Cabinet is made up of five women representatives, out of twelve board positions. Additionally the Board of Trustees is composed of ten women out of 33 board positions and the President’s Council on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is represented by fifteen of the 25 members being women.

Butler University has done an appropriate job from the beginning by having progressive thoughts regarding Gender Equality in education. As women around campus continue to recognize and celebrate this history, there’s hope that Butler University will continue to do its part in advocating for education for all.