Recently, I read an article that addressed the challenges confronting women’s colleges, including their declining enrollment nationwide. A small, small fraction of prospective female college students are interested in a women’s college. When I started attending college in the 1960s, women’s colleges were much more popular and numerous. Were they much more relevant back then as well?
As a male, I have some background in this area since I attended a women’s college named Skidmore. No kidding. At the time, I was attending an all- male institution by the name of Colgate University and yearned for a change of scenery. One of my friends and I somehow managed to qualify for the exchange program between Colgate and Skidmore. Colgate sent 30 of its male students to Skidmore for a semester, and Skidmore reciprocated by sending 30 of its female students to Colgate. It was one of the best college semesters of my life. By that I mean I learned a great deal about women and even met my future wife. But I digress.
In recent years, women have started attending college in greater numbers than men. Many female college students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds are now juggling careers and families and higher education. While women have made great strides, economically, politically, and socially, they still find themselves confronting barriers in the larger society. These barriers, according to proponents of women’s colleges, illustrate why women’s college are needed.
Many women’s colleges have become coed for financial reasons. Obviously, being a single sex college severely limits your recruiting base. Those institutions that have survived appear to make the following case for their existence:
- Educate women, across race, social class, and ethnicity
- Combat gender stratification in all areas of society, including education
- Promote leadership among women, locally and globally
- Do away with the distractions of learning with men
Certainly, the case could be made that coeducational institutions further these goals as well, except for the “distractions” posed by men. When I enrolled at Skidmore for the semester, I remember assuming a leadership role in my Educational Psychology class. The dynamics of the class completely changed when I walked into the room, at least according to one of the other students in class (my wife). Today, my wife still asserts that women’s minds will develop more fully without the social pressure of men. I am not so sure, given the changing role of women in society. What do you think?