By Sophie Webb, Co-Editor-In-Chief
Women make up just around half of the population of the United States, yet decision making spaces and spaces that hold power are largely dominated by men. Women constitute only 25 percent of the Senate and 23 percent of the House of Representatives, there has never been a female president, and as of 2018, only 4.8 percent of Fortune 500 companies were headed by female CEOs. Despite gains in female congressional members over the last election cycle in 2018, representation of women in positions of power is lacking.
Male dominated spaces, from the top down, are accepted as normal and natural, while spaces that are female dominated remain radical and often stigmatized. The goal for female governmental representation is set to 50 percent, and we’re satisfied when we see just as many female characters in movies and television shows. But when the scale tips and there are more women than men in a given body of people or piece of media, the validity and seriousness of the entity is called into question. Why do women dominated spaces and ideas remain so rare and continue to be seen as radical?
Some of the most prominent female and other-gender dominated spaces in the United States are the various Historically Women’s Colleges that exist across the country. As of 2018 there were 34 Historically Women’s Colleges in the United States, including our very own Bryn Mawr College. The students at Bryn Mawr identify across a wide range of gender and sexual identities, with the notable absence of cisgender men. As we receive a premier education from an elite institution, Bryn Mawr students also receive questions and comments from non-members of the community that reveal the stigmatization of female dominated spaces.
When I was accepted to Bryn Mawr, someone told me that by the time I was done at Bryn Mawr I was either going to be a “lesbian or a nun.” As a student at Bryn Mawr, I have heard that people think our math department is easier than the Haverford math department, and was once told that the only reason men from Haverford come to Bryn Mawr outside of class is because they think we are thirsty and desperate for men. My experiences have not been isolated. An anonymous member of the class of ’19 told me she’s heard, “Women are so catty! It must be hard to be around all that drama all the time.”
Emily George ’21 explained that “when I told people in high school that I was going to Bryn Mawr, the biggest questions I got a lot of the time was ‘oh but… won’t you miss men?’” As a tour guide, she has fielded questions such as “Are men allowed in the dorms?” and “Do you hate men?”
Despite the ignorance that students at Historically Women’s Colleges face, many find them to be very valuable. George said that since coming to Bryn Mawr, “I am much more comfortable speaking and I think I’ve really found my voice. When I came to Bryn Mawr I was very shy, I didn’t really talk that much in class or in public settings, but now I think of myself as a much more outspoken person, and I’ve really come out of my shell. It’s just given me a level of comfort with myself, and comfort with being assertive and talkative all in one.”
George feels that “people really need to kind of consider the benefits and the positives and really take a deep look at women’s colleges and women dominated spaces before dismissing them.”
In order to move towards better female representation in all of the various sectors of society, both professional and social, we need to abandon the notion that spaces and ideas are only validated by the presence and support of men. Historically Women’s Colleges play a vital role in showing the importance of women dominated spaces, and empowering students who don’t identify as cis-gender men to be assertive and confident.
Image credit: Sarah Gu
