Does 50-50 mean gender equity? Some contend Princeton is not there yet

Dean of Admission Fred Hargadon's recent announcement that women make up 50 percent of the students accepted to the Class of 2004 may seem a final symbolic step on the path to gender equality at the University. Many members of the faculty and the student body, however, believe the end of the road has not been reached.

"I think that women have the same opportunities to do things on campus, but I think that the University could do more to help the status of women," said Stephanie Ramos '00, who moderated a recent panel discussion sponsored by the Women's Center celebrating 30 years of Princeton women.

"The University does not promote a bias against women, but it perhaps does not acknowledge the view of women enough," she added.

After 30 years of coeducation, the percentage of women in each class has grown from 4.3 percent in 1969 — the first year that women were invited to apply — to 49.9 percent in the prospective Class of 2004.

Though that class has the most equal gender ratio in the University's history, the admission office does not strive for specific ratio goals, according to Hargadon. "The 50-50 — actually 50.1 men, 49.9 women — was not intentional. It just fell out that way when we got done," he said in an interview yesterday conducted via e-mail.

"We never set particular percentage goals for offers of admission. We make our decisions, one by one, and when we finish we see what it looks like. And the final percentages bounce around from one year to the next," Hargadon added.

Though the admission numbers show that the University's efforts toward providing equal opportunities for students of both genders have been successful, many believe that the University still has more to do.

"It is a perfectly normal and natural evolution that the gender ratios are 50-50," Vice President and Secretary Thomas Wright '62 said. "But whether the University has done enough, the answer is no."

Wright noted that one area in which the University still needs to strive for gender equity is in the ratio between male and female faculty members.

"The University has significant imbalance in the representation of women in the senior faculty or senior administrative officers," he said. "There continues to be an imbalance because it takes a long time to change the composition of tenured faculty because professors receive and hold tenure for 30 years."

Cecelia Rey Hallisey '88, one of three women to hold the USG presidency, agreed that improving the percentage of female faculty members is important for the University. "This is not the last chapter," she said of the gender equity in the Class of 2004. "The University must continue to make an effort to provide an atmosphere where women and diversity are represented."

"It is not just student ratios, but faculty ratios that need to be addressed," she added.

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Though female undergraduates make up more than 30 percent of the University's engineering school — much higher than the national average of 17 percent — the department is an area where many still see vestiges of inequality.

"We would always welcome more women into the engineering department," said engineering school assistant dean Peter Bogucki, adding that the school also needs additional female faculty members.

"There are 10 female faculty members out of 100 [in the engineering school], and more than half of them are tenured. But 10 years ago, there was one," Bogucki said. "The number of female faculty members is growing as the number of women who hold Ph.D.s increases."

Others in the engineering school said they believe the lack of female professors discourages women from entering the school.

"The low numbers speak for themselves," said chemical engineering professor Sandra Troian, who has been with the engineering department for seven years. "There isn't discrimination, but there is a definite bias. You learn to deal with it, but it is not easy or comfortable. There is just an awkwardness."

"When you see that there are so few women, whether or not you have a strong personality, you wonder 'Why is that, and do I not belong here?' " Troian said.

This gender tension can send the wrong message to female graduate and undergraduate students, Troian said. "I am most concerned not so much for the faculty . . . but for the graduate and undergraduate students. Many are demoralized because they see the imbalance between men and women professors," she said. "Many have not even had a female professor yet."

"It makes a difference to female engineers' ability to imagine the possibilities that they can reach by not seeing professors and mentors that look like them," she said. "Entering the 21st century, this is still an issue that the University has to look at more carefully."

Some students said they believe the University still can make efforts to increase the role of women in the campus community, whether it be through leadership programs or through advertising efforts promoting women's sports games. Others said they believe the impetus for change should come from the student body.

"There isn't equal attendance at sports games — the men's basketball team always attracts a larger crowd than the women's team does," said Susan Rea '00, a chemical engineer who plays on both the varsity soccer and basketball teams. "The University is doing what it can, and it has supported each of the teams. But the attendance at the games is still not equal."

Ramos agreed. "It can't be the University's fault that the Women's Center is not well attended and that all the USG officers are male. There are leaders in the community, but we can do more," she said. "There should be an internal network to help bring women into leadership positions."