History of Women in A.A.
by Judy F.
“I asked, ‘Is this AA?’ One man said, ‘Yes, but we ain’t got no women.’ I said, ‘You do now,’ and sat down on the couch in the front of the room.” — Grapevine Daily Quote July 5, 2024
“The Seven-Day Test,” Lexington, KY; November 2001, Voices of Long-Term Sobriety There is some debate as to who was the first woman to get sober in A.A. or to have the longest sobriety but by all accounts, Florence R. of New York City, was the first woman to get sober in A.A., even for a short time. She came to A.A. in March of 1937, had several slips, but had over a year when she wrote her story for the Big Book, A Feminine Victory. (1 st Edition). Florence was one of the reasons the original name of the Big Book was changed from One Hundred Men. Unfortunately, she started drinking again and later committed suicide.
It was the spring of 1939 and Sylvia K. was being brought to Akron from Chicago for “the cure.” Dr. Bob was less than thrilled and said “we have never had a woman and will not work on a woman” but she was already on her way. Although she didn’t stay sober at that time she went back to Chicago and got sober. It is said Sylvia was probably the first woman to achieve long term, permanent, sobriety – September 13, 1939 till her death October 31, 1974. Sylvia’s story, Keys to the Kingdom, first appeared in the 2nd edition of the Big Book.
While it seemed like an exclusive “men’s club” in those early days a few women were beginning to break the barriers and stigmatism of alcoholism by joining the program. As mentioned, above there was Florence R. and Sylvia K. who were the first, but then there was Ethel M. (May 1941) who was the first woman to gain sobriety in Akron, and some even claim she was the first woman in A.A. to ever do so. She was known as the “First Lady of AA” and her story, From Farm to City, 2nd and 3rd editions of the Big Book.
Esther E. of TX got sober May 16, 1941. It was after reading the article in the Saturday Evening Post Esther wrote to GSO in NY and began her journey in A.A. Her story, A Flower of the South, first appeared in the 2nd edition of the Big Book and upon her death in 1960 she had 19 years of sobriety.
The first woman to enter A.A. west of the Mississippi and considered an A.A. Pioneer of Los Angeles was Sybil C. – March 21, 1941. Sybil also read the Jack Alexander article and wrote to NY. New York’s response was there were no women members in California but still referred her to the small group of men in the area. At her first meeting there were ten to twelve men seated at a table and three or four women seated against the wall. At the beginning of the meeting the chairman announced, “as is our custom before the regular meeting starts, we have to ask the women to leave” and so Sybil left, headed for the nearest bar and got drunk. She remembered that NY had also given her Cliff W’s phone number if she needed help. She reached out to Cliff who explained they thought she was one of the wives and if she had identified as an alcoholic, she would have been welcome. Sybil died sober in 1998 with 57 years of sobriety. She was honored at the International Convention in 1985 as the longest-sober living woman in A.A.
We certainly can’t talk about the history of women in AA without mentioning Marty M. of New York City and Connecticut. Marty’s sobriety date is uncertain, but she attended her first meeting at Bill W’s home in Brooklyn on April 11, 1939. It was Dr. Harry Tiebout at Blythewood Sanitarium who gave Marty the manuscript of the Big Book to read and also arranged for her to go to her first meeting. Although Marty had three relapses during her early sobriety, her last was in 1944. From that time on Marty was obsessed with eliminating the historic stigma attached to chronic drunkenness and began educating the country about alcoholism. Her nationwide educational efforts led to the creation of the National Council on Alcoholism and was director for 24 years. Marty’s last talk was before the International Convention in 1980. She passed away two weeks later with 36 years of sobriety.
We have come a long way since those early days in A.A. and the strength of our women’s meetings in Santa Clarita speak loudly of the message being carried to the still suffering woman alcoholic. Sylvia K. was so right when she said we have been “given the Keys of the Kingdom.”