History of the Project

Launched in 2015, the Wisconsin Women Making History project is a collaboration between the UW System Women’s and Gender Studies Consortium, the Wisconsin Historical Society, PBS Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Humanities Council, and the Office of the Gender and Women’s Studies Librarian.

The project grew out of a national, multiyear PBS/Independent Television Service initiative entitled “Women and Girls Lead” that used documentary film to illustrate the profound effects women and girls can have on society when they lead in business, politics, science, and the arts. As that initiative came to an end, partners realized the need and desire for a more permanent home for sharing stories and experiences of women history makers in Wisconsin.

Collaborators came together and shared their resources to create the online database of profiles, which now numbers over 100 and is growing regularly.

Media coverage and more information: