Myra Dinnerstein, research professor emerita of gender and women’s studies at the University of Arizona, passed away on July 15. She was 92 years old.
A native of Philadelphia, Dr. Dinnerstein earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She received her master’s degree and Ph.D. in history from Columbia University.
Dr. Dinnerstein joined the University of Arizona in 1975 as founding director of the women’s studies program. The academic program started as a minor, and under Dr. Dinnerstein’s leadership, it grew into a full major. Presently, the program also offers master’s and doctoral degrees.
In 1979, Dr. Dinnerstein became the founding director of the Southwest Institute for Research on Women. She continued to direct both the institute and the women’s studies program until 1989 when she became a research professor. Additionally, Dr. Dinnerstein helped found the Association for Women Faculty, a group focused on issues such as pay equity, tenure, and work overload as they related to women at the university. Dr. Dinnerstein retired from the University of Arizona in 2003.
As a leader in the broader field of women’s studies, Dr. Dinnerstein was a founding member of the National Women’s Studies Association and the National Council for Research on Women. She was the author of Women Between Two Worlds: Midlife Reflections on Work and Family (Temple University Press, 1992).