On the gender track

What image comes to mind when you are asked to envision the stereotypical Kelley student? My imagination, however biased and unfounded, conjures up the archetypal male, masculine in his presence and confident in his air.

Curious to see whether my unfair pigeon holing could be at all substantiated, I researched the male to female major ratio of Kelley majors. According to recent statistics, 1,092 males and 470 females are studying “General Business/Commerce” at IU. Why such gender disproportions?

Consider as well the words of Linda Sax, a researcher of gender dynamics in our educational system, “Those (women) who spend more time with faculty members, especially in the context of research, become more committed to traditional gender roles.” I could make broad sweeping and grandiose claims, decrying a horrifically sexist world. The minimal evidence is disparate and does not allow it. 

Recognizing that we do not have the answers, we are, however, legitimate in asking the questions. What do these studies imply? If a women, standing on her own two feet, decides that she will obtain happiness through more traditional gender roles of a domestic life, then she is not a victim of a sexist world. I think I am fair in saying that this is not always the case. Does our educational system propagate a limited gender perspective? Does it crank out students into the professional world according to a narrowly defined preconception of gender? Most importantly, were do you and I come into the equation and how do we break this cycle of inequality?