Campus Chauvinism

College is hard. It can be even harder when you’re a woman. The effects of misogyny on the learning experience in America cannot be denied. From catcalls, to underrepresentation, to simply not being taken seriously, women on college campuses throughout the country have been dealing with the same issues for decades. With it being Women’s History Month, there is no better time than now to discuss this phenomena.

No matter how you feel about these organizations college fraternities have been a breeding ground of misogyny since their inception. Studies have shown time after time that members of fraternities are more likely to hold sexist views or sexually assault women than your average male student. In fact, a study from Springer Publishing found that fraternity membership is one of the largest predictors of sexual aggression in a male student. This is not to say that all fraternities or fraternity members are sexist but the correlation cannot be denied.

Women in college sports are not taken seriously. In 2017, forty-two percent of Division 1 college athletic funding was spent on men’s athletics while only twenty-one percent was spent on women’s athletics. The amount of effort that goes into providing women with the same athletic opportunities is laughable. One study found that NCAA colleges would have to offer 148,030 more sports opportunities for women to equal the same ratio that is provided to men.

Who could forget the prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses? The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network reports that 26.4% of all female undergraduate students experience rape or sexual assault. That is 1 in 4 women. Something has to change. The Brock Turner case of 2016 really brought this issue to light and could have been a turning point for women across America. Yet again, they were let down as Turner was only sentenced to 6 months in jail and three years of probation for rape. The more you analyze the issue you will find similar results and inaction on the part of the justice system and the country as a whole to bring some restitution to these victims.

The combined effect of these factors on the female student’s learning experience cannot be ignored. How can you study when you have to worry about sexual assault lurking in every corner of campus? Forget about test anxiety. Consider how it feels dealing with the trauma of sexual violence on top of everything else. The bottom line is this—if you are a woman in college, you may not be receiving the same quality education as your male peers because of these outside factors. Change is possible but it will require intentional work on everyone’s part to make the college experience, a safe experience for all students. 

By Danny Holland - Danny is a senior public relations and advertising major and the Communications Intern for the Division of Student Affairs at The University of Southern Mississippi.