Jane S. Gould '40

In Memoriam
August 11, 2009

It is with sadness that I write to let you know that Jane S. Gould, the first permanent director of the Barnard Center for Research on Women, initially called the Women's Center, died over the weekend at the age of 91. All of us here at the Center remain indebted to her commitment and passion in establishing the Center and guiding it to a position of leadership in the field. We would like to share with you the information about her funeral and a few thoughts about her incredible contributions as director.

A Barnard alumna, Jane S. Gould '40 returned to her alma mater in 1965 as the director of the Barnard Placement and Career Planning Office and helped change women students' perceptions about their work options. Jane's interest in women and work brought her into the women's movement, and she became part of a working group at the College, which in 1971 succeeded in establishing the Women's Center. Jane became the first permanent director of the Center in 1973, following Acting Director Catherine Stimpson. As Jane wrote in her memoir Juggling: A Memoir of Work, Family, and Feminism, "the Women's Center's very existence tapped a great reservoir of feminist energy, which—in turn—helped to shape [the Center's] identity. It was like opening a floodgate." The first public program held by the Center was entitled "Is There Male Chauvinism at Columbia University?" and Gould described it as "a spirited panel discussion." With a dry wit, she concluded, "It turned out to be an evening of high comedy." The Center then began hosting major conferences; the first was held "on a bleak February day in 1973" and brought close to 1,000 women to Barnard's gates to consider issues like the range of human sexual expression, parenting, ageism, the media and self image, power structures and access to information, and many other feminist topics. The success of this conference was followed by the initiation of the signature event of the Center, the annual conference known as "The Scholar and The Feminist," now in its 35th year, which continues to draw crowds and further feminist knowledge.

Jane Gould changed the women's movement and the movement changed her; she wrote, "Learning to understand the powerlessness women feel as women, sharing experiences and perceptions and connecting with other women—both individually and collectively, both professionally and personally—not only changed the way I worked but also the way I related to other women. Besides the satisfaction of having worked in a field I believe in deeply, I think that I am a happier person today because I interact with other women more openly and honestly than I once did." Even after retirement, Jane Gould continued to make her mark on the women's movement by writing and participating in critical meetings. She participated in the Women's Encampment for a Future of Peace and Justice at Seneca Falls in 1983 and in the United Nations NGO Conference on Women in Nairobi in 1985. She wrote for Women's Studies Quarterly and for two anthologies on women in higher education. She also served on the board of the Center for Constitutional Rights from 1984-1992.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, August 13 at 11:30 am at the Plaza Jewish Community Chapel (630 Amsterdam Avenue). The family will be at home Wednesday 3-5pm, Thursday 4-6pm and Friday 3-5pm. Donations in Jane's honor should be sent to the Center for Constitutional Rights and Radiation Public Health Project.

Sincerely,
Janet Jakobsen
Director, Barnard Center for Research on Women