Women's History on Campus by Bradley University blogger Ashley

The women’s rights movement has come a long way on college campuses. There was a time when girls and boys didn’t attend the same school, as formal education was seen as more important for boys. Girls were expected to learn domestic duties from their mothers and tend to the household, so many young women learned to read and write at home rather than attend a “dame school”.  Even in higher education, women had very few choices when it came to majors or vocations. They had to attend female seminaries that only provided the option to learn “ladylike” skills rather than the formal, academic training provided to males. Most women would go on to become teachers, as that was one of the few acceptable occupations, and only unmarried women could become teachers.

Salem College- "oldest female educational establishment that's still a women's college"

Photo by Marilyn Hayes

Fast forward to today- women account for the majority of undergraduate students in higher education. At co-ed institutions, women are able to attend the same classes and pursue the same majors as males. There are increasingly more women joining the teaching force of higher education, proving how hard they worked to get their Master’s and Doctorate degrees in such a male-dominated industry. Women hold higher administrative positions, including the highest position of President (or the equivalent at other institutions).  Female students are able to join pretty much any student organization they desire, except for the obvious traditional male fraternities and other social groups catered to men (mostly due to the fact that they have the word “men” in the title). While males have some of their own groups, females have their own as well- on my campus, we have various sororities and a unity group for women of color.

I had an English professor a few years ago who wouldn’t allow anyone to address her by any title less than Doctor. “I worked very hard to get my PhD, so it is disrespectful for you to reduce my achievement by calling me ‘Mrs.’ or anything like that,” she said during our first class period. A male student went on to call her Admiral sometimes, and she accepted that since that was an upgrade in her eyes.

Even with all of the seemingly equal opportunities for women on college campuses, there are still an overwhelming amount of male professors at your traditional university. As someone who will be graduating in less than two months, I can confidently say that about 80% of my professors have been male. I’ve had on average one female professor per semester, and I take 4-5 classes per semester. There are still men (professors, department heads, and students alike) who make misogynistic and sexist comments in class and boldly at the face of women. The tenured men can’t be fired unless grievances are filed, regardless if many people heard the comments publicly or not. So many people let these comments pass by saying, “Well, they’re old and senile anyway” or “They’ll retire soon enough” or “Just get through the class and you’ll never have to take another class with them ever again” and the like. So many people have the attitude that just because these men come from a different generation and era that it is okay for them to make these comments because you can’t change the ways of older adults.

As I stated earlier, women’s rights on campuses have come a long way, but we still have a ways to go until we reach a truly equal status on the majority of campuses across the nation.

Photo from USA Today

Women's Rights: A Continuing Story

Once you are declared a girl the world begins treating you as one.  “Act like a lady,” I have heard it before more when I was younger and was told not to lift my dress over my head at church.  Acting like a lady has changed significantly in the last century.    If you look at each decade you can tell how moments in history have shaped women.  I have been drawn to the women’s perspective in history partly because I was born a girl. 

In the 1940s women left their families and homes to become factory workers.  They did this to help the country survive because the men went to war.  This obviously is not the first time a woman had set foot in a factory but it did change the way the world viewed femininity.  A woman could raise a family and support one with a laboring job. 

In the 50s and 60s women were still viewed as homemakers and to raise children but more women began the pursuit of education.  This also changed the way a woman was viewed.  Although it may not have been easy to go against the grain and put education first, women succeeded in the academic world.

Fast forward to present day women are in the highest positions they have ever been in.  It is easy to forget how far we have come as gender, or take the privileges we have for granted.  Malala Yousafzai, a teenage girl, was shot by the Taliban, for receiving an education and promoting that every child should have the right to an education.  She survived that attack and now is a spokesperson spreading her message of equal access to and education for all people.

Sometimes it is hard to remember the simple acts and choices that we take for granted are simply not easy options for other people.  I am thankful for the choices that I can make about continuing my education, when I would like to start a family, and to be born at a time when women around the world are making an effort to expand women rights.

Malala once said “We call upon our sisters around the world to be brave – to embrace the strength within themselves and realize their full potential” In the wake of women’s history month “Go get’ em girl!”

The Rising - by blogger Snehal Gajare

The journey of womanhood is no less than a roller coaster ride.  Several cultures have emphasized on respecting and worshipping womanhood. Perhaps that’s the reason we humans have been referring to earth as Mother Earth, to nature as Mother Nature and to a country as Motherland since ages together. Mythological stories often consider women as an epitome of strength and power. Times changed and so did the position of women in the society. Women were now subjected to oppression, violence, inequality and sexual assault. Only a few who were the daughters / mothers / wives of the kings were considered.  Constant suppression and dominance finally reached a level of saturation and women decided to rise from oblivion and make history. This was an emergence of a feminist era that paved way for all women to exhibit their strength and voice their choice.

 Indira Gandhi, Benazir Bhutto, Margaret Thatcher, Queen Victoria, Mother Teresa, Princess Diana, Helen Keller, Wangari Maathai, Malala Yousafzai , Hilary Clinton and the list of inspiration seems endless. But the name that inspires me is Sindhutai Sapkal a social worker from India. This name may not be known to most of us and may not seem to be a big name but the persona is as big as Mother Earth. Sindhutai has nurtured more than 1050 orphan children by adopting them as her own. She even donated her biological child to a trust to eliminate the feeling of bias towards her daughter and the adopted ones. Here’s her story: Sindhutai was married at the age of 10. She had 3 sons by the age of 20.She was abandoned by her husband when she was 9 months pregnant with his 4^th child. She didn’t lose hope and delivered her baby girl all by herself in a cowshed.  She started begging to feed her child and then realised that there are scores of children abandoned by parents and started adopting them and begged a lot to feed all of them. This is how she became a mother to all the orphan children who came across her. Most of the children she adopted are now lawyers, doctors and well educated people.

She is 66 years old now and her husband apologised to her. She even accepted her husband as her child and states that she is only a mother now.  Her duty is to nurture all the children who need her help. She is fondly referred as Mai (mother) by all. She has a powerful persona and aura around her that inspires all women to be independent without any grudge against anyone who ill-treated her. She runs scores of orphanages now and has become an epitome of selfless service and a true inspiration to women.

The purpose of sharing this story is to tell women that they are not weak; they have the ability to conquer the world.    

Women’s Rights Have Made A Difference by Benedictine University blogger Karly Sacco

We Can Do It

It is hard to believe how far we have come. All the battles we have fought to get to where we are. Women have always been looked at as the less dominate ones. It is unfortunate that the evolution took this long. But finally, women have the majority of the same rights that men do. It was not easy getting here, the journey has been a long and hard one but looking back women have truly shaped the way people treat them not only just in the work place, but also on college campuses. The role that women’s rights play is extremely important today to encourage, shape and educate young women in schools so that they can continue the growth of equality. 

When most people think of women’s rights they think of the important women in history, the events that have shaped what women stand for today, and women in the work place. But rarely people think of how women’s rights affect college life. It is not thought to be abnormal that men and women go to school together today and it shouldn’t be. On college campus’s women have the same, maybe even more active rolls than men. Their dominance in school life shows not to treat them differently just because they are girls. Women on college campuses are the ones truly living out the dream that history has made possible today.

Today women are stronger than ever. Just think if women in America did not come as far as they have today. What if Rosa Parks never stood her ground for women that are still living her message today? Or if Amelia Earhart never took the risks and adventures to show that women are just as strong as men. Over the years, there have been riots because of many intense topics but the one that continues to be changing over time is the fact that women are still making a difference in this world. Some men are still not too fond of this idea. But those men have to face the facts and realize that women are not going anywhere, and it is only up from here. Whether you are a male or female, beginning in elementary school the importance of women’s rights has been implanted in our brains so it has only been natural for society to shift its views on what women are capable of achieving. Although we have come a long way, there are other parts of the world that are still less fortunate than America. Women’s rights are still an everyday battle for a lot of women in struggling countries where men still see themselves as more powerful of the two sexes. Hopefully one day the whole world will see how important the impact women’s ideas and thoughts can have on society.

The Importance of Women's History Month by Katiera Sordjan

     

     Unfortunately, even with the dedication of entire sequential months to a celebration of the achievements of African-Americans and women, the imperativeness of these recognitions is still greatly underestimated. We are halfway through March, yet I have heard little mention of Women's History Month in my neighborhood and local schools. We live in a society that still poorly represents women in its culture, and teaches its girls to feel unsafe and insecure merely because of their gender. Girls deserve to be educated about their histories, so they can feel confident and empowered by female role models. 

     Both men and women still scoff and roll their eyes at feminist movements and celebrations like Women's History Month. They accuse women of wanting to be the same as men (often using the Freudian term penis envy) or have more power than them. But sexism is still alive and well; acquiring the right to vote and hold offices does not mean that women are treated equally and fairly, which is all feminism really asks for. In the words of Winston Churchill, history is written by the victors. A dominating patriarchal society hurts both men and women by confining them to rigid roles, and leaves little room for those who lie outside of the traditional gender binary. 

     Not only have women been barred from important fields historically, but today many still assume that contributions to society are made mostly by men due to some inherent weakness in women. Sandi Toksgiv, a European writer and producer, reflected on an anthropology course she took while studying at Cambridge. Her female professor noted that a bone etched with 28 markings is considered evidence of man's first creation of a calendar. However, only a woman would find significance in marking 28 days, as it represents the average length of the menstrual cycle. Toksgiv wondered how many other achievements of women she had overlooked in her life. This is a question we should be asking ourselves as well. 

     It took time for women to be able to be an active and recognized part of politics, art, and science. Women's History Month recognizes women like Rosalind Franklin, whose crucial role in the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA was overlooked in favor of crediting scientists Watson and Crick. It praises women like Rosa Parks, who refused to tolerate the prejudices towards men and women of color. It rallies behind contemporary women like Wendy Davis, who stood in front of a largely male senate for 11 hours to block a bill that would restrict Texan women's reproductive rights. This is not a demand for greater space in the history books than men, but to rewrite the history that has been diminished and concealed, and to tell the stories that are constantly being written by women all over the world every day. 

     It is no surprise that in a culture that encourages female submission and censorship, as well as male aggression and authority, women can be taken advantage of, abused, and will rarely come forward. This is important to think about as we continue our discussion of the issues of sexual assault on college campuses. When a woman is taught that her body is public property, and that her voice is not always worthy of being heard or trusted, we perpetuate a rape culture that causes many women to suffer in silence. 

     The story of our country is one of overcoming adversity and fighting for the freedoms we deserve as citizens. We have a come a long way, but are still fighting to be seen as equals regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, or background. We honor the history of women to remember their important role in shaping countries across the globe, and to remind our children to continue to fight for equality and overcome the obstacles of prejudice to fulfill their goals and dreams. 

"Awareness is Key" by blogger Allisyn Ruttle from Pitzer College

Something happened on my campus this semester. Something created a buzz that’s still sending us into a frame of mind never before seen.

We all received our first sexual assault notification email from administration a few months back. Everyone talked about it. It gave no explicit detail, just simply when and where and guidelines for how to prevent it in the future. We were all surprised. Why hadn’t we been notified of these situations before? Why now?

The emails kept coming. Notifications of sexual violence came flooding into my inbox. Now, we see at least 1 per weekend, if not 2-3.

Students became passionately outraged, posing various, impulsive questions:

“Why are there so many sexual assaults happening on campus now?”

“Who is responsible? Students? People in the community?”

“What about our campus culture has changed to invite such behavior on such a regular basis?”

Here is the thing, though. It took me just as long as everyone else to see through my own concern to reach the harsh truth. These emails don’t indicate a sudden burst of sexually violent activity. Cases have been that frequent all along, and it used to be so easy to blind ourselves from the truth. Now that administration is making all of us aware, we can’t help but become actively concerned. We can’t help but stand up and fight.

The results of the awareness-spreading emails, as sad as they are to read, have been astonishing. Three of the five Claremont Colleges now have legitimate advocate groups in support of survivors, and they all meet more often than they ever have before. Initiatives like the growing “Yes Means Yes” campaign are making way, and the general student body is excited to engage in the support of survivors and prevention of sexual violence on the campus they call home.

Survivors themselves have also been affected by the rise of awareness. Discussions and support groups have reached a pinnacle in attendance. They feel more proactive with reporting their cases, because they know the powers that be are taking some sort of initiative to do something about it, even if it is just a simple email with no detail.  For the first time, something is being done to encourage survivors to move forward, and I could not be more proud of my campus.

Victims and Survivors by blogger Veronica from Southern New Hampshire university

There is a much more different approach to understanding and keeping up with college policies when it comes to telling the story of the sexual assault victim. With the particular passage of women equality and their being a big threat of sexual assaults and victimization on college campuses, so many law makers and advocates are expressing concern. The victims have found kinship with organizations that focus on their fight for equality but also find themselves in amidst of criticism that many of these assaults are hidden from other students. There is a link to bullying and suicide as well. There are so many students that find themselves unprotected and their rights violated after suffering from a physical or sexual attack. Many colleges are gladly taking action trying to seek out those responsible for many of these assaults, but there is still a long ways to go when it comes to the gaps between the attack and the arrest.

For instance, if a female college student reports an assault, and tries to come forward with her story is treated as a Pieria and a blemish in the reputation of the school. She will find her story mostly goes unheard. At the viewpoint of a victim who is a college student, the authority rationalizes what to do but, what would happen in the case of a male college student? Will his story be heard? Is there a promising inspiration for other male students to come forward? Believe it or not in time there will be justice made but the reaction time will be slower. This is why colleges have reached out to the victims and the media to get them involved in the progress, to politely end the long process and to encourage less fighting of teacher versus students or students versus students.

The need for victims and survivors is for victims to be victims no more and their cries for help never deserted. With all the added stress made due to the assaults there is no proper authority figure or support that lets each college student learn, study and live. With the thriving of the female student body, teaching others about their experiences can only lead to training of faculty members and their aggressive need for this compassionate training, while teaching those around them to be compassionate as well. Not only is there a remainder of an intrusion on a victimized student’s memory but there is still a lack of outlets for those college students to talk and inspire other college students to come forward. With the enforcement of new laws or policies on college campuses, the only difference now is that there will be a whole new focus on the survivor’s stories and the adequate need for suggestions and opinions.