Equality of Access or Opportunity: The Role of Women's Colleges in the 21st Century
1. In 2001, almost fifteen million students attended postsecondary institutions in the United States and more than half of these students were women. Of these female students, ninety-eight percent of them attended coeducational institutions, but only two percent of them attended women's colleges (Langdon 2). While this data statistically documents American society's strong belief in the value of coeducation, it also highlights the recent decline in the popularity of women's colleges. As American society has come to believe that the problem of inequality in the education of men and women is no longer pertinent due to the fact that women are now afforded access to higher education, the country has discredited the validity of women's single-sex education. However, the surviving women's colleges are challenging this access-based definition of equality by renewing their mission statements and strengthening their educational goals. By refusing to equate equality of access with equality of opportunity and therefore recognizing the gender inequalities present in the educational system, women's colleges currently serve as the best way to prepare female students for active participation in the public sphere.
2. In order to understand the recent trend towards coeducation, the evolution of the women's college as a response to the lack of access to higher education must first be explored in depth. The women-only institutions that preceded the women's college and were highly popular from the 1820s on were known as "academies" or "seminaries" (Harwarth 1). While they did teach core academic subjects to their pupils, seminaries were seen by many progressive educationalists as an inadequate way to deal with the lack of quality education for females. Such seminaries lacked the governance of a board of trustees that provides educational institutions with permanence, credibility, and direction through the form of a mission statement and economic support in the form of an endowment. Because validity was seen as an essential step towards guaranteeing women a level educational playing- field, women's colleges followed the organizational mold cast by men's colleges, including forming board of trustees, actions that institutionalized and therefore made important the goal of equal education for women. It was this tenet of equality upon which women's colleges were founded, specifically at this time period the equality of access to higher education. The will of Sophia Smith, founder of Smith College in 1875, stated that that it is "with the design to furnish my sex means and facilities for education equal to those which are afforded now in our Colleges for young men" (Harwarth 4).
After centuries of exclusion from the rest of society’s tasks, women decided to voice their opinions about their rights. In the early 19th century, the United States decided to reform the educational institutions, seeking to raise their standards. However, male students were the sole beneficiaries of this reform; women were not admitted into universities. Emma Hart Willard, one of the most prominent voices for women’s education, ran Middlebury Female Academy: an institution where geometry, philosophy, and other topics were taught. She proposed to establish her school to New York and have it publically funded, but New York refused; she built her school there anyway. Two years later she founded Troy Female Seminary. Emma Willard’s courage provided opportunities for other women’s rights activists. Although there was an influx of revolutionary women, many women were excluded. African American and other minorities were not included in the fight for women’s rights. Emma Willard had many reservations about the institution of slavery. Like the Antebellum period, there was a sense of improvement, but still a repetition of
As mentioned above, women’s role were unjust to the roles and freedoms of the men, so an advanced education for women was a strongly debated subject at the beginning of the nineteenth century (McElligott 1). The thought of a higher chance of education for women was looked down upon, in the early decades of the nineteenth century (The American Pageant 327). It was established that a women’s role took part inside the household. “Training in needlecraft seemed more important than training in algebra” (327). Tending to a family and household chores brought out the opinion that education was not necessary for women (McElligott 1). Men were more physically and mentally intellectual than women so it was their duty to be the educated ones and the ones with the more important roles. Women were not allowed to go any further than grammar school in the early part of the 1800’s (Westward Expansion 1). If they wanted to further their education beyond grammar, it had to be done on their own time because women were said to be weak minded, academically challenged and could n...
Obtaining higher education is regarded as the ultimate symbol of status in the United States (US). Access to a college education in this country is seen as an expression of academic excellence and can provide access to unlimited possibilities. In the US, Ivy Leagues are considered the elite and represent the most powerful ideogram of educational opportunity. According to the National Center for Education Statistics [NCES] (2012), from 1999–2000 to 2009–10, the percentages of both master's and doctor's degrees earned by females increased from 1999–2000 to 2009–10 from 58 to 60 percent and from 45 to 52 percent. The NCES report (2012), found that in 2009-10, of the 10.3 percent Black students who earned Bachelor degrees; 65.9 percent were women. Of the 12.5% of Black students who earned Master’s degree in 2009-10, 71.1 percent were women; and of the 7.4 percent of Black students who earned doctoral level degrees (this includes most degrees previously regarded as first-professional, i.e. M.D., D.D.S., and law degrees), 65.2 percent were women (NCES, 2012)...
Mother Teresa was a global icon and loved by millions and millions of people. She was one of the greatest humanitarian in this world; A simple definition of humanitarian is someone who cares for the poor (“Kids”). Mother Teresa was born on August 26, 1910. She was born in Albania in a town named Uskup. During that time the town was under the Ottoman Empire rule. It was not until after many years later that the name was changed and government ruling also. The new name of the town was Skopje and governs under the Republic of Macedonia. The name that was given to her at birth was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu (“Mother Teresa-Facts”).
The lungs are a vital part of the respiratory system, a group of organs and tissues that work together to help humans breathe. The system’s main job is to move fresh air into the body while removing waste gases. Lungs are important because every cell in the body needs oxygen to live. The air we breathe contains oxygen and other gases. Once in the lungs, oxygen is moved into the bloodstream and carried throughout the human body. The bloodstream then carries the waste gas back to the lungs where it is removed from the blood stream and then exhaled. The lungs and respiratory system automatically perform this vital process, called gas exchange (American Lung Association). Lungs contain millions of air sacs called alveoli. With each breath,
In order for the cells of the body to work correctly they require a constant stream of oxygen in order to stay alive. The respiratory system provides the cells with oxygen while simultaneously removing carbon dioxide. The three parts of the respiratory system: the airway, the lungs, and the muscles of respiration.
The once male dominated, corporate, "white collar" America has seen a phenomenal influx of women within the last thirty years. Although a female lawyer, physician, or CEO is no longer considered a rarity in our times, women still face quite a deal of oppression in comparison to their male counterparts. In retrospect, some professions have always been controlled by women, and men have not made a noticeable advance in these fields. In 1970, finding a female lawyer to represent you would be a difficult task, since less than five percent of the profession were women. Today, that number has risen to almost thirty percent. The percentage of female doctors has almost tripled in the course of thirty years. African Americans have not made such a conspicuous progression within the last fifty years, while women have made a tremendous impact on the corporate world. One may wonder, how did women make these extraordinary advances? For the most part, it is due to the education they receive. At the present time young girls are encouraged to enroll in classes dealing with math and science, rather than home economics and typing. As pointed out by Nanette Asimov, in her essay "Fewer Teen Girls Enrolling in Technology Classes", school officials are advocating the necessity of advanced placement, and honor classes for teenage girls, in both the arts and sciences. This support and reassurance than carries over onto college, and finds a permanent fixture in a woman’s life. While women are continuing their success in once exclusively male oriented professions, they are still lacking the respect and equality from their peers, coworkers, and society. The average male lawyer, and doctor make twenty-five percent more money than their female equivalent. Women have always lived with the reputation of being intellectually inferior to, and physically submissive to men. This medieval, ignorant notion is far fetched from the truth. In 1999, high school men and women posted similar SAT scores, being separated by a only a few points. In addition to posting similar scores on the SAT, the average males score was a mere two-tenths of a point higher than an average females score on the ACT. Even though a woman maybe as qualified as a male for a certain occupation , women receive unwanted harassment, and are under strict scrutiny. A good illustration of this would be the women represented in "Two Women Cadets Leave the Citadel.
The right and privilege to higher education in today’s society teeters like the scales of justice. In reading Andrew Delbanco’s, “College: What It Was, Is, and Should Be, it is apparent that Delbanco believes that the main role of college is to accommodate that needs of all students in providing opportunities to discover individual passions and dreams while furthering and enhancing the economic strength of the nation. Additionally, Delbanco also views college as more than just a time to prepare for a job in the future but a way in which students and young adults can prepare for their future lives so they are meaningful and purposeful. Even more important is the role that college will play in helping and guiding students to learn how to accept alternate point of views and the importance that differing views play in a democratic society. With that said, the issue is not the importance that higher education plays in society, but exactly who should pay the costly price tag of higher education is a raging debate in all social classes, cultures, socioeconomic groups and races.
Title IX legislation, passed in 1972, expanded the rights of an individual in ed ucational opportunities. It equalized academic prospects for individuals by ensuring that males and females must have equal access to educational possibilities. Title IX is traditionally attributed to the growth of athletic programs for women by demanding that programs for women are given the same amount of money and attention as men's teams. However, Title IX has dealt with a plethora of equality issues in education that have been overshadowed, for the most part, by the legislation's impressive impact on women in sports.
The respiratory system has six major areas that works together that allows the body to breathe, prevent choking, and not to allow harmful debris to enter the respiratory system are some of the functions that the respiratory system does. The respiratory system is divided into two regions, the upper and lower respiratory. The upper respiratory consists of the Nose (nasal) and Pharynx while the lower respiratory embodies the rest of the system which includes the Larynx, Trachea, Bronchioles and Lungs. The information provided will be done by three individuals the upper respiratory tract will be provided by Mr. David Brown, the lower respiratory tract will be given by Ms. Brianna Agee and the infectious diseases will be provided by Mr. Derrek Woods.
When Daisy exclaims to Nick that, “Tom as God knows where” (page 22) during her daughter’s birth and that she hopes that her daughter will “be a fool – that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (page 22), it reveals the embodiment of an archetypal, subordinate role for women in the 1920’s. Daisy’s quote implies recognition of sexism and patriarchy, and an ensuring sense of herself surrendering to it. As Tom was not present during their daughter’s delivery, it is clear that Daisy realizes that he is having an affair. But rather than confront Tom about this, Daisy chooses to be submissive, not voice her opinion and hope that her daughter will be a fool. This suggests that Daisy is critically aware of the place that women hold in the particular historical context, where being oblivious and ignorant towards a spouse’s actions – being a “fool” – is better than having knowledge of their wrongdoings and feeling as if speaking up about it will not alter the situation. Although she appears superficial at times, the audience should not dismiss the potential wisdom of her character. Although Daisy is talking about her daughter, in many ways, this quotation is autobiographical about Daisy subsiding to cultural expectations regarding women and not confronting her husband about his adultery. However, it is
The respiratory system is something we sometimes take for granted; because breathing is something we do without having to think about. It is a system made up of organs, tissues and blood circulation. It is a complex and fragile system that we must take care of if we want to live a healthy life.
The Respiratory System is a process by which we take in oxygen and give off of carbon dioxide. It encompasses the breathing of a human being which is in one form of respiration, called external respiration. We have to perform this function in order to maintain life. Nonetheless, there are several complications associated with the Respiratory system; commonly bronchitis and Asthma.
... an 80 year old. The respiratory system is an amazing network of tubes, sacs and muscles. We depend on the respiratory system for survival. Without oxygen being supplied to the blood we will die.
Women have had quite a few hurdles to get over since the 1950's. In 1958 the proportion of women attending college in comparison with men was 35 percent. (Friedan,