Beyond the Gender Equity Numbers
Beyond the Equity Numbers
Students from diverse gender identities share their experience with gender at Syracuse University, showcasing if it reflects statistics surrounding the institute’s inclusivity and national collegiate demographics.
Before 1972, women’s experiences in college could be uneven from a lack of resources and opportunities to a not-always-equal treatment among their professors and peers.
But when President Richard Nixon officially signed Title IX prohibiting discrimination based on sex in federally funded programs and activities, the law started to transform higher education realm, making it more gender-inclusive.
Title IX’s impact influenced women’s overall place in society by not only prohibiting sex discrimination but also impacting workplace opportunities, addressing issues such as sexual harassment and influencing the overall makeup of higher education.
At Syracuse University, 53% of 2021’s first-year class are female students — a level that has remained consistent in recent years.
But a look at specific SU college in traditionally male-dominated fields show there are still significant gender discrepancies between majors and programs such as in the Whitman School of Management with a gender difference of 45% women and 55% men.
Nationally, women make up less than 25% of degrees earned in engineering and other STEM-related fields, according to the National Survey of College Graduates (NSCG) (2019).
Enrollment figures are only one way of measuring gender equality on college campuses. The perspectives of students with a range of identities sheds light on their journeys with gender at SU, showcasing how, or if, the data aligns with their experiences.