Women\'s Colleges vs. Coeducational Institutions

Women in Higher Education

Describe ways in which female college students in the era from 1920 to 1945 influence the present generation of female college students.

It would not be unreasonable to refer to women in the 1920 -- 1930 window of time in American history as pathfinders. Professor Mary McComb explains that in 1930 women workers and students "were perceived as larger threats" than in previous era; indeed, the "new women" in the 1930s received "a fair share of scorn" by pursuing higher education and entering the workforce in substantial numbers (McComb, 2006). But women did not back down. By competing with men for jobs, the female college student of the 1930s was "more suspect…" then her predecessors, and yet she marched forward with dreams and goals that were part of the "American Dream" (McComb, 2006).

In the 1930s women made up about 50% of the American workforce, McComb explains on page 21. By 1930, 96% of stenographers were female (up from 5% in 1870), having received a business education and having forged ahead with their own careers. The women of this generation certainly paved the way for women in education today.

Meanwhile, in 1945, following World War II, the large public coeducational institutions were admitting more women, and they "…created programs that served the higher educational needs of women" (O'Connor, 2010). Women took advantage of these opportunities as coeducational institutions "…became more and more common throughout the country," and this also opened the door for African-American females, O'Connor explains. The substantial number of women who attended colleges during that period -- and the programs that were developed due to the large number of women applying to attend colleges -- has certainly had an influence on today's female student

Analyze the factors, conditions, and values influencing present-day women to enroll in women's colleges.

Essayist Lisa Wolf-Wendel explains that in coeducational settings, women do not "necessarily" have the same positive experiences that men do (Wolf-Wendel, 2012). Nor are women as a rule treated equally or "equitably," in the classroom or on campus; moreover, research indicates that the climate for women at coeducational institutions is "chilly" (Wolf-Wendel, 2012). Studies referenced by Wolf-Wendel show that men on called on more often in coeducational colleges, and men's remarks in the classroom are "taken more seriously"; women are often "overshadowed" and even the "brightest" females tend to say very little within classroom dynamics.

Additional research by Wolf-Wendel reflects that the coeducational peer culture places emphasis on "the value of romantic relationships for women" while for men, the emphasis tends to be on "academics, athletics" and other future achievements. Multiple studies (qualitative and quantitative) reflect that women's colleges have a "direct, positive impact" on students, and graduates of women's colleges "express higher levels of self-esteem and leadership skills" (Wolf-Wendel, 2012). At women's colleges, showing leadership skills is not an option or an alternative, the author continues. In fact women are "obligated to hold all available leadership positions" and because there are no males seeking to seize those leadership assignments -- and hence no competition that distracts from scholarship and social dynamics -- this "…enables young women to gain confidence" (Wolf-Wendel, 2012). Moreover, at many women's colleges, professors simply do not allow women to "…use their backgrounds as an excuse for failure" (Wolf-Wendel, 2012).

Professor Barbara Bank (Women's Studies, University of Missouri-Columbia) reports on a survey that measured self-esteem for women at a women's college, a women's college that coordinates with a men's college, a coeducational college, and a men's college that recently went coeducational. Women were interviewed during their freshman and sophomore years and given this statement to respond to: "On the whole, I am satisfied with myself" (Bank, 2003). The only school of the four to see a marked jump in self-esteem was the women's college (30% of the women agreed with the statement their first year, but 47% agreed by their sophomore year) (Bank, 2003).

It could also be argued that the college woman of the 1930s paved the way for the college woman today in terms of the way the women in that era engaged in socializing; there is ample evidence of romantically-themed activities on college campuses in the 1930s. College women were featured in magazines and newspaper as being provocative, attending wild parties where alcohol was in plentiful supply. According to author John Thelin, the coeds in that era made headlines in some Midwestern and eastern publications vis-a-vis rowdy parties and engaging in "promiscuity" (Thelin, 2013).

Analyze the factors, conditions, and values influencing present-day women to enroll in coeducational colleges.

Historically the argument in favor of women attending coeducational colleges has been that the academic discipline imposed on students would be beneficial for both genders; that is, in terms of values, men's "manners and discipline" would be improved as would "women's feminine character" (Carreon, et al., 2013). In addition, the very presence of men would prevent women from "developing a romanticized ideal of men" and would better prepare women for their future as wives (Carreon, 2013). Statistically, women today represent 57% of Bachelor's degrees in the U.S., and about 97% of women with degrees are graduating from coeducational colleges (Natural Bureau of Economic Research). Clearly, women have preferred coeducational experiences, if only 3% of the degrees earned by women came from women's colleges.

Meanwhile when women were admitted to Columbia College (the last Ivy League school to become coed), in the first graduating class the valedictorian and salutatorian were women, and most of the awards went to women (Morgan, et al., 1987). "When I sit in a classroom, it does not occur to me that I am different because I am a woman," said Linda Mischel (Morgan, 1987). Mischel and Shelly Coleman both explained that they had attended all-girls high schools, but they "...sought the diversity that a coeducational environment offers" (Morgan, 1987).