Opening in 1837, Wesleyan Female Seminary became by 1855 one of the small number of colleges for women in the United States. The question is to what extent Wesleyan was a true college as that word was understood at the time, along with the wider issue of what constituted a college as the concept became transformed during the nineteenth century. In…

Explores the ongoing debate as to whether female students can be better educated in a single or mixed gender environment by reviewing the historical origins of American women's colleges. Discusses the conflicting research surrounding the merit of single gender higher education and explores what coeducational institutions can learn from the women's…

Explores the experiences of two Black women in a predominantly white campus through phenomenology. Their experiences are revealed through conversation and metaphors. The author found them to be a little wiser and more prepared to meet the challenges of the world because of their journey through a predominantly white institution. (Contains 28…

Reviews literature on gender separation in education at secondary and postsecondary levels, internationally and nationally. Looks at rationale for separate form of education for women, citing research which showed that high-achieving women were more likely to have graduated from women's colleges and which documented positive correlation between…

Replicating and updating M. Elizabeth Tidball's 1973 study, this study of 1,307 women achievers corroborates earlier findings that women's colleges produce proportionately more high female achievers than do coeducational schools. Factors that may have contributed to this are discussed. (BJV)

Presents a historical process model for the full integration of women into a male institution based on historical studies of several institutions. Draws analogies to current decisions at Virginia Military Institute and the Citadel, including predictions about ways in which the presence of women will affect the student life of these institutions.…

Three recent books ("In the Company of Women,""Alma Mater," and "Women in College") focus on very different but interrelated topics: the general history of women in higher education in America, the history of women's colleges, and the shaping of women's identities through higher education. (MSE)

Reviews literature on the history of women in higher education in the United States, focusing on colleges for women (specifically Bryn Mawr and Wellesley) in comparison with each other and coeducational colleges (specifically Oberlin and the University of Michigan). Discusses women's access at the community college level. (DMM)

A review of the literature examining the identification of female students principally with role models as a prerequisite for success. Also reviews the literature on importance of mentors for career advancement. (EF)

Reviews the history of arguments opposing coeducation in the university setting. Traces the arguments chronologically in order to detect patterns and processes. Concludes that, although the Victorian fears of association between males and females are no longer accepted, our patriarchal institutions remain intact in higher education. (KO)

Review of the literature suggests that class participation by female students is increased when the teacher is female and/or the teacher has had training in sex equitable behavior. Women students rate female teachers higher than male teachers; and later achievement and confidence of female students are correlated with attending a women's college…

Literature from the late nineteenth century and a case study of Cornell University between 1870 and 1900 are discussed in relation to higher education of women to explore how contemporary theorists and academic administrators dealt with the issues. Theoretical definitions of "equal" opportunities for women in academe shifted from…

This book examines the role of women's colleges in the United States from the early 1800s to the present. It reviews how they began, how they changed as more colleges became coeducational, and the legality of publically supported single-sex colleges. The book also looks at what women's colleges are like today and examines differences in…

A review of current research and literature about women in higher education is presented in this monograph in the context of equality of opportunity. The following areas are addressed: the status of women students, institutional practices that affect the participation of women students, the socialization process, women's studies and women's…

African American women hold a unique position as members of two groups that have been treated in a peripheral manner by postsecondary education (Moses, 1989). Membership in both marginalized groups often makes African American women invisible in colleges and universities. Given the complex intersection of race and gender, more attention should be…