In Memoriam: Joan Acker, 1924-2016

Joan Acker, the first woman professor of sociology at the University of Oregon died late last month. She was 92 years old.

When Dr. Acker joined the faculty at the University of Oregon in 1967, women were less than 3 percent of the total faculty at the university. She taught at the university for nearly 30 years. She was the founding director of the Center for the Study of Women in Society and served in this role for 13 years. In 1993, Dr. Acker was named professor emerita of sociology.

Professor Acker was the author of several books relating to gender issues including Doing Comparable Worth: Gender, Class, and Pay Equity (Temple University Press, 1989) and Class Questions: Feminist Answers (AltaMira Press, 2005).

Dr. Acker was a 1946 graduate of Hunter College in New York City. She earned a master’s degree in social services administration from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Oregon.