The Women's Section was convened more than 25 years ago as folklorists (primarily women) felt the need to meet other feminists, and to address the lack of serious study of women's issues in the field of folklore. Thanks to the work of these first section members, and those that have followed, feminist contributions to the study of folklore are no longer rare nor overlooked. With more than 200 section members, the Women's Section is a substantial force in the American Folklore Society. For membership information, see the AFS homepage.

The Women's Section sponsors and administers the Elli Kongas-Maranda Prize. The EKM Prize is awarded annually for two outstanding works on women's traditional, vernacular, or local culture and/or for work on feminist theory in folklore. The content of the nominations must focus on some aspect of women's folklore. There is a student prize and a professional prize. For more information, see the Spring issue of Folklore Feminists Communication.

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