Class Year
2025
Document Type
Student Research Paper
Date of Creation
Fall 2022
Department 1
History
Abstract
The women of Gettysburg College, students and faculty, faced unique barriers in their academic life from 1960 to 1980. The college was making curricular and calendar changes to benefit all students, women, but was slower to fix the inequities facing women. First, women had a harder time getting into Gettysburg College, due to a 2:1 sex ratio in admissions that required women to have higher qualifications than their male counterpoints. Some women also struggled to convince family members that college mattered to them rather than just being an expensive way to acquire a marriage match. Once there, women were expected to work towards very limited career paths–to become nurses, teachers, or secretaries. Continuing education in graduate school was not impossible for women, but it was considered odd and unnecessary work. Female faculty members faced hiring discrimination, tokenism, and opaque promotion policies. Despite these challenges, many women found ways to support each other in achieving a positive experience at Gettysburg College that would lead them to a bright future.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Szpakowski, Theodore J., "Academic and Intellectual Life for Gettysburg College Women, 1960-1980" (2022). Student Publications. 1038.
https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/student_scholarship/1038
Comments
Written for HIST 300: Historical Methods.