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The modern university has a broad constituency, which spans not only a
significant range of socio-economical and racial groups, but also includes both
genders. Thus, in asking how the university can best serve its various
constituencies, it is crucial to examine gender-related issues that impinge on
university education. While it might be argued that these are intrauniversity
issues, the problem in fact reaches beyond the boundaries of the university,
extending into other sociological domains including the interface of the university
with the family.
Women now constitute a significant proportion of matriculants at most
major academic institutions. Women currently earn 50 percent of all bachelor's
and master's degrees and 33 percent of Ph.D.s. (Vetter and Babco, 1986). This
includes professional schools where the proportion of women has increased over
the past decades. At Yale Medical School, for example women constitute 38% of
the first year class in academic year 1987-88.
Despite the trend of increasing enrollment of women in academic
institutions, existing support structures are not yet at the point where they fully
facilitate involvement by women in the academic ecology. The diversity of
problems encountered by women students is well documented (Hall and Sandler,
1984; Sandler and Hall, 1986). Many of these problems involve the
university-family interface. Thus, for example, women students in some cases
have significant family obligations, including parenting. In some cases women
constitute the primary wage-earner in single-parent or dual parent families, or
have primary responsibility for child-rearing in two-career families. These
obligations impose a set of constraints in the hour-to-hour structure of the
academic day that are largely time-locked to the tempo of family life, and these
constraints do not always mesh well with the traditional academic schedule.
Thus, they necessitate an examination, and possible re-structuring, of the
traditional academic grid. However, in many case, despite the fact that women
make up a significant proportion of the university community, accommodations
(even those that maintain the standard of excellence of the curriculum) to these
temporal constraints have been absent.
Similarly, as a result of the temporal constraints involved in family life
and parenting, many women can not take full advantage of academic
opportunities within the context of the traditional four year university, four-year
professional or medical school, or three-year residency schedule. A less
traditional structure, e.g., a 5-year college or professional school curriculum with
one year out for child-rearing or half-time training program (with a duration that
is twice as long as normal) are well-matched to the temporal needs of some
women, and would serve to maintain the rigor of their academic program while
permitting these women access to the university. These programs are
unfortunately rarely available.
This situation is one (although not the only) reason that women tend to
occupy lower positions in the academic hierarchy. Time-related issues also
constitute a significant factor in encouraging attrition from academic institutions.
Thus, a male student, professor, or administrator who takes an hour off to play
squash each day may be viewed as demonstrating vigor, while a female who
devotes a similar period of time to child-rearing is perceived as ineffective or
uninterested (Sandier and Hall ,1986). The situation is a self-reinforcing one,
since, as a result of attrition and the paucity of women in high positions within
the institution the number of successful female role models is small. The losers in
this situation include not only women, but, of course, society as a whole as well
as the academic institution, since these are deprived of the full efforts of a sizable proportion of their constituents .
Two important points emerge from this brief discussion:
1) In order to be applicable to a broad range of students, any theoretical analysis of the university must not only take into account the interface of the university with society at large, but also the complex relationships between the university, its students and their families and psychosocial substrata.
2) In more practical terms, in attempting to build a first-rate academic
institution, it is essential to turn attention to the interface with the family, and to develop mechanisms which facilitate comfortable and productive movement
between home environment and academic workplace.
Specific ways in which this can be done include the development of
adequate daycare programs and infant-toddler centers. Flexible schedules (which
build upon strengths rather than weaknesses) and effective
maternity/child-rearing leave policies must be developed, as well as part-time
positions which will capitolize on the potential contributions of women to the
academic community.
From an ecological point of view, the academic institution is clearly part
of a larger system in which family-related temporal constraints play an important
role. The boundaries between university life and family life can not be viewed as
sharp and inviolable. If the boundaries of the university are seen as unbreachable,
the univesity becomes a closed system that is accessible only to those who can
shed their ties to other systems, e.g., family systems. On the other hand, by
interfacing smoothly with extra-academic systems, the university becomes a more
integral part of society, incorporating a larger number of its constituents. Thus the
university benefits as its boundaries become less arbitrary.
In attempting to interface more effectively with the family, the university
will have to reevaluate the ways in which it uses its value structure and reward
system to advance its students faculty, and administration, so as to effectively take into account the spectrum of life-styles of its men and women. This can be accomplished without lowering standards of excellence, but rather by liberalizing the temporal constraints under which they can be met. This will not negate the university's commitment to excellence or its emphasis on achievement. On the contran, fly including a larger constituency and thus a larger pool of participants, the university can hopefully encourage a higher standard of excellence.
At first glance this approach may appear to challenge some traditional
assumptions about success and leadership, but in the long run it will permit the
university to utilize all of its constituents to the fullest extent. In this sense, the university must be viewed as part of an open system which constitutes a
continuum extending beyond traditional academic boundaries to the family.
REFERENCES
Hall, R.M. & Sandler, B.R. (1984) Out of the Classroom: A Chilly Campus
Climate for Women?, Project of the Status and Education of Women, Association
of American Colleges, Washington, DC.
Sandler, B.R. & Hall, R.M. (1986) The Campus Climate Revistted: Chilly for
Women Faculty, Administrators, and Graduate Students, Project of the Status and
Education of Women, Association of American Colleges, Washington, DC.
Vetter, B.M. & Babco, E.L. (1986). (Eds). Professional Women and Minorities, A
Manpower Data Resource Service, Washington, DC: National Center for
Education Statistics: Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
Address for Merle Waxman: Office for Women in Medicine, Yale University
School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06510.
T'was a dangerous cliff, as they freely confessed, Though to walk near its crest
was so pleasant But over its terrible edge there had slipped A duke and full many
a peasant. So the people said something would have to be done, But their projects
did not at all tally; Some said, "Put a fence around the edge of the cliff, Some,
"An ambulance down in the valley."
But the cry for the ambulance carried the day, For it spread through the
neighboring city; A fence may be useful or not, it is true, But each heart became
brimful of pity For those who slipped over that dangerous cliff; And the dwellers
in highway and alley Gave pounds or gave pence, not to put up a fence, But an
ambulance down in the valley.
"For the cliff, is all right, if you're careful" they said, "And, if folks even slip and are dropping, It isn't the slipping that hurts them so much As the shock down below when they're stopping." So day after day, as these mishaps occurred, Quick
forth would these rescuers sally To pick up the victims who fell off the cliff, With
their ambulance down in the valley.
Then an old sage remarked: "It's a marvel to me That people give far more
attention To repairing results than to stopping the cause, When they'd much better
aim at prevention, Let us stop at its source all this mischief," cried he "Come
neighbors and friends, let us rally; If the cliff we will fence we might almost
dispense With the ambulance down in the valley."
"Oh, he's a fanatic," the others rejoined, "Dispense with the ambulance? Never!
He'd dispense with all charities, too, if he could: No! No! We'll support them
forever. Aren't we picking up folks as fast as they fall? And shall this man dictate
to us? Shall he? Why should people of sense to put up a fence, While the
ambulance works in the valley?"
But a sensible few, who are practical, too, Will not bear with such nonsense much
longer; They believe that prevention is better than cure, And their party will soon
be stronger, Encourage them then, with your purse, voice, and pen, And while
other philanthropists dally, They will scorn all pretense and put up a stout fence
On the cliff that hangs over the valley.
Better guide well the young than reclaim they when old, For the voice of true
wisdom is calling, ''To rescue the fallen is good, but 'tis best To prevent other
people from falling. Better close up the source of temptation and crime Than
deliver from dungeon or galley: Better put up a strong fence round the top of the
cliff Than an ambulance down in the valley."
EDITOR 'S NOTE:
The author of the above poem is not known, but the poem clearly contrasts
a preventive against a treatment intervention strategy. The preventive strategy is
also environmental in its focus while the treatment strategy is focused on the
person. A more exciting, satisfying, and complex ecological intervention that
incorporates the nature of the environment and the development of the person is
offered in the following addendum to the poem by Dr. Eugene Oetting,
Department of Psychology, Colorado State University:
ADDENDUM
So we put up a fence and the accidents stopped (or did they?) Some children
climbed over and suddenly dropped (let us pray ! ) And other began to walk
single file wherever they went. For the fence lined them up, mile after mile, And
they went, anywhere they were sent.
Too late the old man say the problem he caused when he put up the fence. You
protect them too much from the world as it is and they all ride the ambulance.
For too much neglect, or too much care, are equal- unsuitable gifts, So don't build a fence, but teach them to climb,
Teach them . . . all about cliffs.
E. Oetting
ADDITIONAL EDITOR'S NOTE 11/2/2000
A very alert reader has informed us that the poem was written by Joseph Malius in 1865. - WB
Racism and sexism are environmental conditions that involve power,
values, institutions, laws, policies and benefits. They are as much a part of
campus life as tenure and other systemic features of the campus. Racism and
sexism have prevented social justice for countless ethnic minority persons and
women. University environments have been robbed of the educational merit of
diversity. Now the vent survival of our institutions is threatened by sexism and
racism. This threat stems from two sources 1) The failure of the white male
system to see racism and sexism as its problem; and 2) The failure to recognize
the changing demographics of the country. It is both in the interest of our country
as well as in the "self" interest of white males to correct these failures. The
following resources speak to these issues:
Bowser, B. and Hunt, R. (1981). Impacts of racism on white Americans. Beverly
Hills, CA: Sage Publications.
Doyle, J. (1963). The male experience. Dubuque, IA: Wm. C. Brown, Company.
Gosman, E . (1986). Population characteristics and college attendance. Boulder,
CO: Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.
Hodgkinson, H. (1986). All one system: Demographics of education, kindergarten
through graduate school. Washington, DC: The Institute for Educational
Leadership.
Schaef, A. (1985). Women's reality: An emerging female system to a white male
society (2nd edition). San Fransisco: Harper & Row Publishers.
Terry, R. (1970). For whites only. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing
Company.
United Way of America. (1985). What lies ahead-a mid-decade view: An environmental scan report. Alexandria, VA: United Way of America.
Barbach, L. & Levine, L. (1983). The intimate male: Candid discussions about
women, sex and relationships. New York: Doubleday Publishers.
Baumli, F. (1985). Men freeing men. Jersey City, NJ: New Atlantic Press.
Berger, M. & Wright, L. (1978). Divided allegiance: Men, work, family life. The Counseling Psychologist, 7(4), 50-52.
Brod, H. (1987). The making of masculinities. Winchester, MA: Allen and
Unwin.
Diamond,Jed. (1983). Inside out: Becoming my own man. San Raphael, CA: Fifth
Wave Press.
Durk, K. (1985). Secrets men keep. New York: Doubleday.
Doyle, J. (1983). The male experience. Dubuque, IA: Wm. C. Brown, Company.
Farrell, W. (1975) The liberated man. New York: Bantam.
Fasteau, M. (1974). The male machine. New York: McGraw Hill .
Freudenberger, H. & Richelson, G. (1985). Burn-out: How to beat the high cost of success. New York: Bantam Books.
Garfinkel, P. (1985). In a man's world: Father, son, brother, friend, and other roles men play. New York: New American Library.
Gerzon, M. (1984). Choice of heros: The changing face of amencan manhood.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Goldberg, H. (1976). The hazards of being male. New York: Nash Publishing.
Goldberg, H. (1979). The new male. New York: William Morrow .
Gould, C. (Ed.) (1983). Beyond domination: New perspectives on women and
philosophy. New Jersey: Rowman & Allanheld .
Levinson, D., Darrow, D. & Klein, E. (1978). The seasons of a man's life. New
York: Knopf Publishers.
Milman, D. & Goldman, G. (1978). Man and women in transition. Kendall-Hunt
Publishers.
Petros, J. (Ed.). (1974). Sex, male, gender, masculine. New York: Alfred Press.
Pleck, J. (1981). The myth of masculinity. Cambridge, MA: M.I.T. Press.
Schaef, A. (1985). Women's Reality: An emerging female system in a white
male society (2nd Edition). San Francisco: Harper & Row, Publishers.
Skovholt, T. (1978). Feminism and men's lives. The Counseling Psychologist,
7(4), 3-10.
Solomon, K., & Levy, N. (Eds). (1982). Men in transition: Theory and Therapy.
New York: Plenum Press.
Spencer, D. (1981). (Ed). Men's studies modified New York: Pergamon Press.
Toomer, J. (1978). Males in psychotherapy. The Counseling Psychologist, 7(4),
22-25.
Wong, M. (1978). Males in transition and the self-help group. The Counseling
Psychologist, 7(4), 46-50.
Zilbergeld, B. (1984). Male sexuality: A guide to sexual fulfillment. New York: Bantam Books.
This material resides on an Indiana State University server and is maintained by
Will Barratt.
Please forward any problems and comments to him.