At Prospect, are ceilings still made of glass?

For the first time in the 120-year history of the 'Street,' four women hold the position of eating club president. But despite the progress made by women on Prospect Avenue since coeducation, they are still markedly under-represented in the officer corps of several clubs.

At Cottage Club, which has only one female officer, some women felt they had to take special measures to ensure they were adequately represented. They met prior to this year's elections to decide who they would pull for, according to a woman in Cottage who asked not to be identified.

"We had to say, 'Alright, we want to get a girl elected. Let's all vote for this one girl.' The normal political process wasn't going to suffice," she said.

Nevertheless, some Cottage members are pleased with their predominantly male officers. "All our officers are incredibly talented," Cottage member Kirsten Solberg '01 said. "I'm not disappointed that we have only one [female officer]."

Tiger Inn, which was the last club to admit women, has no female officers. At the club, three officers are elected and three are appointed.

According to a female member of Tiger Inn who asked not to be identified, female members were upset when no women were elected or appointed this year. Some spoke to the club officers and conveyed their disappointment with the way elections and subsequent officer appointments unfolded.

"They were outraged, to be honest. There was protest within the club," she said. "[The officers] were perfectly aware that we were disappointed. What's done was done."

However, she added that she believes her interests as a woman are being adequately represented despite the dearth of female officers. "I was certainly disappointed to see there weren't any females," she said. "But I stand by the officers. They were gender blind."

Tiger Inn president Ewen McAlpine '01 said in an e-mail that he believes his club's members are satisfied with the work the officers are doing.

"TI has had women officers and they have been equally capable and effective as male officers," he said.

Ivy Club too has struggled to strike a balance between female and male officers.

"Half the club members are women and there's only one officer," said Liz Baker '01, Ivy's vice president and only female officer. "It's partly a symptom of how short of a time it's been since the clubs went coed. It was an all-male tradition for over 100 years."

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Nevertheless, Baker noted the progress that women have made even during their short time at the 'Street.'

"Women [used to be only] allowed as guests, at parties at night," Baker said. "Now we don't even think about the fact that women are playing pool in the billiard room and eating dinner together [with men]."

Cottage president Chris Wolff '01 and Ivy president Mark Reinhardt '01 did not return repeated phone calls and e-mails.

Deterrent

Some officers said they believe one reason for the paucity of female officers is the small number of women who run for leadership positions.

"Definitely a smaller number of women [ran for officer positions in Ivy]," Baker said. "Maybe five out of 20."

"Maybe a deterrent is that at the 'Street,' especially at Ivy, men have usually filled those positions," she added.

Cottage experienced a similar phenomenon with only a few women running for officer positions this year, according to Solberg. "Cottage is more male than female," she said. "Because there has been a trend of male officers, [women] don't see themselves in the role of officer as much."

But some female members said they believe the problem lies more in a failure by women to be assertive than in a tradition of male leadership. "If there is male domination in our club, it's because the women allow it," said a female member of Cottage who asked not to be identified. "Women aren't respected."

"I think the problem is that girls don't value themselves. I think there's a lot of insecurity on this campus," she added.

Colonial Club president Melissa Waage '01 said some of the responsibilities associated with being a club officer could deter some women from running for the post. "There were definitely a few negative factors, especially about being a girl," she said. "I am the first female president Colonial has ever had. I was given the impression people might not take me seriously as a girl, or that I couldn't stand up to people who gave me trouble."

However, Waage said she has not found her gender to be a problem. "I have found as a female president, as a girl, you have more of an imposing presence," she said. "Whereas some people might cuss out a guy, they won't do that to a girl."

Solberg said that some may view women as ill-suited for the duties of certain positions. She cited posts that involve carrying kegs and safeguarding as positions typically held by men.

Maura George '01, president of Cloister Club, disagreed. "As far as carrying kegs go, we have big people do that," she said.

Waage said gender was a factor when she and other elected officers made appointments for other positions this year. They made a concerted effort to assemble a gender-balanced slate of officers. Four out of 10 officers they appointed were women.

"There are a couple of jobs where gender is relevant," she said. "You find almost entirely males wanting to be alcohol chair and intramural chair."

"The assistant house manager position involves a lot of heavy work. But we ended up appointing a woman," she added.

George said one factor she considered when making her decision to run for president of Cloister was that women in leadership roles often are criticized for being assertive.

"It's a lot harder for a woman to stand up without looking like a bitch," she said. "I get teased, but I don't think it's a serious issue."

Waage also considered the negative perception of women leaders when deciding to run.

"Running for president makes people think you're assertive," she said. "Many women don't want to be viewed as an assertive, mannish person."

Though they would like to see more women officers, many female students said they would not vote for women based on their gender alone.

"I have a hard time balancing my faith in meritocracy with my wish to see more female officers," said Norah Kelleher '00, Ivy's former vice president. "I would definitely like to see more female officers in the future. I think that's important because although members' interests can be represented by officers of either gender, without a female officer the likelihood that the interests of a group of female members would be ignored is more likely."