A Century for Equality

Abstract

False prophets to the contrary, the last one hundred years hav been nes of great imp ovement in the l t of American women?in education and in jobs. The struggles of a century have conquered theoretical hazards to women's equal access to both, and brought implementa tion in major areas. These victories are in line with what Alice Freeman Palmer wanted a century ago and for which she worked. The 1860s were years of great ferment in social movement, followed by years of growth and adjustment. For women, this meant improved attitudes on equal rights, i.e., advances in their enjoyment of higher education and of its employment and other outcomes. Alice Freeman in seeking her right to higher education as well as that of her brother, and in her later working in higher education, a field not usually open to women, is the arche type of these changes. Our present seems quite similar to that of 100 years ago: the 1960s almost in domestic rebellion being followed in the 1970s by society's evaluation of proposed changes which hopefully will still further extend women's equality. Because of national need, encouraging steps will be taken in both education and work. Many of the most sig nificant will occur in higher education and the work for which it prepares. Women cannot now relax in the 1970s though the climate is favorable to them. In the fight they have had the support of enlightened men; this will be as important as ever, and the situation is such as to suggest that it will be stronger than formerly. There are those who denigrate the progress made for women of high academic ability, dwelling on what else might have been done or on temporary setbacks. A recital of a few comparisons of their status in employment and in colleges and universities shows the depth and extent of change toward equality. Commissioner of Education, Sidney P. Marland, Jr., said recently that about 62% of American high school graduates go on to college. In one state it runs as high as 75%, (girls, 64% ) ; either proportion unheard of even fifty years ago. In sum, there were in 1970, 7,985,532 degree-credit students enrolled (41,160 estimated for 1870). To meet this demand, more than 2,500 institutions of higher education were in operation1 (563 in 1870). Improvement in women's share in these totals tells its own story: In 1870 it is estimated that women constituted 21% of the total,8 but in 1970 the proportion was 41.5% (3,283,508). More significant for equality in the future than the totals, are the changes in the proportion of 17 year old girls entering higher education and in their proportion to men in the first year of college degree-credit study. This type of evidence of women's participation is not avail able as iar back as 1870. However, it is well known that over the years there have been more girls than boys among the 17 year olds graduating from high school, but more boys by far going on to college. In terms of improving women's equality in higher education, this had to change, and it has. Records since 1900 show the boys steadily catching up on high school graduation until in 1969 the high school record was 80.60% of 17 year old boys and 81.55% girls.1 On the other hand, girls are catching up on the boys and now almost equal their rate of entering college. In the fall of 1970, women were 44.7% of the students enrolled4 for the first time for degrees, showing an improvement for example, from 1929-30, a period usually considered favorable for women, when women's share of the entering total was 25.7%. Another area vital to equality is that of degrees com pleted. In 1870, women earned about 15% of the bachelor's and first professional degrees;* in 1969-70 about 42 per cent/ In addition to this steadily increased participation, the ultimate completion of first degrees by women is equal to that of men?about 60% .8 This is in spite of their with drawal rate at the end of two years which often seems spectacular.