It supports the study of women's and gender history of the American South, gives annual book and article prizes, and provides networking opportunities for its members, especially at its triennial conference.

Most of the organization's members study the American South but historians in any field who live in the southern states are encouraged to join.

[7] Several volumes of original scholarship have resulted from the conference papers, including: In 1989, the organization established the A. Elizabeth Taylor Prize for the best scholarly article on Southern women's history,[18] and in 1992 established the Jacquelyn Dowd Hall Prize for the best graduate student paper submitted to the triennial conference.

[21] Every other year, the SAWH awards the Anne Firor Scott Mid-Career Fellowship to support scholars who are working on a second book or similar project in southern and/or gender history.

In Baltimore in November 2022, the SAWH celebrated the organization's 50th anniversary in person at the Southern Historical Association annual meeting.

After the Annual Address by Amy Murrell Taylor, members enjoyed a reception at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture.