March is Women’s History month in the United States, celebrating the vital role women have played throughout our nation’s history. Take a look at some stand-out details about women’s work within Virginia REALTORS^® and the National Association of REALTORS^® over the last century.

DID YOU KNOW?

• When Virginia REALTORS^® was founded in 1920, it had an entirely male membership. Today, our most recent membership report reveals that 51% of our members are women.
• NAR’s 2020 Member Profile reveals that currently, 64% of REALTOR^® members across America are female. 
• Today, women are becoming homeowners in record numbers—and many of them are doing it on their own. According to the 2020 survey of home buyers and sellers, 16% of buyers in Virginia are single women. 
• In 1984, Dorcas Helfant-Browning became the first female President of our association, then called the Virginia Association of REALTORS^® (VAR). That year, only six other state-level REALTOR^® associations had female Presidents.
• Helfant-Browning went on to be elected as NAR’s first female President in 1992. Despite significant opposition, she made it her platform to meet as many REALTORS^® across the country as possible. Clearly, her determination paid off.
• In 1981, Joan D. Gifford of Norfolk was named the first female Virginia REALTOR^® of the Year honoree.
• Virginia REALTORS^®’ current CEO, Terrie Suit, was appointed to the Virginia Real Estate Board in 1996. She later served Virginia’s 81^st District as a delegate for nearly a decade. In 2011, she was appointed by Virginia’s governor to be Virginia’s first-ever Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security.

Virginia REALTORS^® celebrates the tens of thousands of women who have helped our association and industry flourish over the past century.

We have an entire chapter in our 100-year anniversary book dedicated to the trailblazing women in our association’s history. If you’re interested in securing a copy of the Virginia REALTORS^® 100-year book, click here.