INSTITUTE FOR WOMEN'S STUDIES/Tokyo Woman's Christian University

HISTORY

　　The basis for Women's Studies at Tokyo Woman's Christian University were the trends in Women's Studies and the new movement in the North American churches that supported the University from its foundation. The North American churches that supported the University changed their traditional policy of providing financial assistance to individual Christian universities in Asia in favor of supporting research institutes in which Asian nations take the initiative in promoting women's studies. This new policy led to the establishment of a Center for Women's Studies at Christian universities in Asia. The Center for Women's Studies was established as an organization affiliated to the Institute for Comparative Studies of Culture at the University in 1976, in response to the United Nations Decade for Women (1976-1985). 　　
　　　The Center became independent from the Institute in April 1990 and took its first steps as the Institute for Women's Studies.

1975	At the second conference of the nine women's Christian colleges/universities in Asia, it was decided that each college/university should have its own institute for women's studies.
1976	The Institute for Comparative Studies of Culture in TWCU organized a committee for women's studies, through which several general research projects and publishing projects were started.
1978	A meeting of the presidents of the nine Women's Christian colleges/universities was held at TWCU. The Asian Women's Institute was founded by the united efforts of those nine colleges/universities including TWCU.
1980	An AWI workshop entitled "Life-time Education for women" was held at TWCU.
1981	Open lectures and serial seminars were started.
1983	An AWI "Peace Forum" was held at TWCU
1986	The Nao Aoyama Prize for an outstanding piece of work on the history of women was established with funds willed by Professor Nao Aoyama, a late professor of TWCU.
1987	The Nao Aoyama scholarship was established by the same fund.
1988	The committee for women's studies was reorganized as Center for Women's Studies.
April,1990	The Center for Women's Studies became an independent institute separated from the Institute for Comparative Studies of Culture.