Irene Tinker (born March 8, 1927, in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

), is professor emerita in the Departments of City and Regional Planning & Women's Studies at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

, teaching from 1989 to 1998. She was the founding Board president of the

International Center for Research on Women The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) is a non-profit organization with offices located in Washington, D.C., United States, New Delhi, Ranchi, and Jamtara, India, Nairobi, Kenya, and Kampala, Uganda. ICRW works to promote gende ...

, founder and director of the Equity Policy Center and co-founder of the Wellesley Center for Research on Women.

Education

Professor Tinker earned her B.A. from

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that was founded in 1879. In 1999, it was fully incorporated into Harvard Colle ...

in political philosophy and comparative government and her PhD from the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

and Political Science in comparative government and development. Her dissertation was on India's first general elections and parliament after independence.

Career

With two colleagues, she drove a

Ford Anglia The Ford Anglia is a small family car that was designed and manufactured by Ford UK. It is related to the Ford Prefect and the later Ford Popular. The Anglia name was applied to various models between 1939 and 1967. In total, 1,594,486 Angli ...

from London to New Delhi in 1951. In 1953, she and her new husband drove back to London from

Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital status in 1907. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

, in an

Austin A40 A number of different motor vehicles were marketed under the Austin A40 name by Austin between 1947 and 1967. Austin's naming scheme at that time derived from the approximate engine output, in horsepower. To distinguish between the different mo ...

. Her travelogue became a book, ''Crossing Centuries'', published in 2010. Tinker was appointed a United States delegate to the

United Nations Commission on the Status of Women The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW or UNCSW) is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), one of the principal organs of the United Nations. CSW has been described as the UN organ promoting gen ...

in 1973. President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

appointed her assistant director of action in 1977. She was a Fulbright Scholar in Nepal and Sri Lanka from 1987 through 1989. In 1977, Tinker became an associate of the

Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press (WIFP) is an American nonprofit publishing organization that was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1972. The organization works to increase media democracy and strengthen independent media. Basic informati ...

(WIFP). Prior to UC Berkeley, she served on the faculties of

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

, Federal City College/University of the District of Columbia,

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

, and

American University The American University (AU or American) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90-acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spri ...

. As director of the international office of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, she convened a seminar on women and international development in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

in 1975 prior to the first UN International Conference on Women.

Personal life

Tinker married Millidge Walker in 1952, with whom she has three children and five grandchildren.

Selected publications

Books

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Chapters in books

Journal articles

Collection of papers

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Pdf list of material in collection.
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Scroll down for full list of contents.

References

External links

Profile page: Irene Tinker
University of California, Berkeley {{DEFAULTSORT:Tinker, Irene Living people 1927 births Feminist economists Radcliffe College alumni Alumni of the London School of Economics UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design faculty American women writers American academics of women's studies 21st-century American women