Development from the 1960's - 1980's
Beginning in the late 1960's and early 1970's, the rumblings of women's liberation began to enter the academic sphere. Due to a large push from the undergraduate population, through their actions developing an undergraduate women's union and pushing for faculty to adopt women's studies curriculum into their classes and programs, the formation of a program specifically dedicated to women's studies began to take palce. However, despite the amount of support, unfortunately the women's studies program faced hardships from the very beginning, such as struggles like lack of staffing and funding.
During the time the women's studies program began to develop, along with the other difficulties with funding, Pitt's academic sphere was surrounded with various cases of sex discrimination. In particular, two instances, the Ina Braden Trial and the Sharon Johnson case, made national news for the ongoing sex discrimuination and tenure denial of female professors.
Off-campus social and political activism were a significant part of the development of an academic women's studies program, by creating an environment of progression around the campus. Current events at this time included the development of the Pittsburgh NOW chapter, which was one of the first NOW chapters in the country, social panels discussing male/female relationships in professional settings, and abortion activism. At this time in the 1970's, due to the progressive change ongoing at the university and at the social level, common discourse surrounding the women's liberation movement as well as women in academia included labeling them as "radicals" or "female agonists."