58% of bachelor degrees, 60% of masters degrees, and 55% of doctorate degrees were earned by women in 2024. These numbers are only going up. College students, graduate scholars, and industry leaders are women. Women are dominating college campuses, court rooms, and research labs.
Women weren’t always leaders in education, in fact they were systematically locked out of pursuing degrees. Until 1833, women had very few choices on what to do with their career. Textile production, midwifery, and being a local school teacher were some of the options women had outside of domestic work inside the home. In 1833, Oberlin College in Ohio was the first institution to allow women to enroll in a university. However, it wasn’t until 1837 that they allowed women to pursue the same degrees as men. Wesleyan College in Georgia, was the first college to explicitly grant degrees to women in 1836. Education equality has always been a fight. From pioneer Mary Wollstonecraft, to Ruby Bridges, and Malala Yousafzai; generations of women have fought for equality in education.
Recently at UCSB, Edwina Barvosa, a Havard educated professor who has taught at UCSB since 1998 filed a lawsuit for underpayment and gender pay discrepancies. Barvosa claimed she was paid far less than a man hired eight years after her for the same position. In 2024, the unnamed male colleague was paid $251,700 while Barvosa was taking home $157,000. The difference in pay was $94,000 even though Barvosa had ten years of experience on her colleague. To compensate for the pay discrepancies, Barvosa is asking for her back pay from the years of unequal salaries which amounted to nearly 3 million dollars. The dean of The College of Letters and Sciences at UCSB claims he knew Barvosa was being underpaid but stated there was nothing he could do. Although, nearly half a year earlier, the dean had signed off on her male colleagues’ promotion. As of now, nothing has been settled and no payments have been made. Gender discrepancies in education are everywhere, even on our own campus.
Systematically, the world makes it hard for women to reach their full potential. Corporate America and the track that leads to what we deem “success” in one’s career, is one that is not built to be equal. It is as if the women’s lane has ten extra hurdles and the men’s lane is like one of those moving sidewalks in an airport.
In pursuit of our goals, gender should not be the biggest obstacle. However, it was a big factor when I was applying to college for the first time. I was warned by teachers, friends, and social media that the demographics portion of the common application could affect my admission. I was also made aware of the gender ratios across colleges. UCSB is an example of this with 57% of undergraduate students being women with the other 42% men. This is a common pattern amongst top colleges. UCLA has 60% women and 40% men, Tufts University has 56% female undergraduates to 44% male, and UT Austin has 57% female students to 42% male. Colleges have begun trying to even out this ratio which throws another hurdle in women’s way to educate themselves. The acceptance rate for Tufts, Ut Austin, and UCLA all hover around 10% but how low is it for women? The obsession with matching gender ratios simply lowers the already near impossible rate for admission.
If it’s difficult for women to pursue academia, why are they dominating campuses and meeting rooms nationwide? This is a question that is truly left to every woman for themselves to answer as to why they are motivated to pursue an education. For me, education has always been a non – negotiable. In my house, my mom has been the one pushing me to achieve my dreams. She graduated from UC Davis with bachelors in Economics and an MBA from Penn State in Marketing/Strategy. My dad on other hand only has a bachelor’s degree. Growing up with my mom having earned more degrees was something that stuck with me. The drive she had for her career was inspiring and made me want to pursue at the minimum a graduate degree.
Positive female role models especially regarding education was the catalyst for my love for school. My mom is a feminist and large women’s rights supporter. In 2016, when women’s rights were being threatened for the first time since Obama’s presidency, I attended numerous marches with her. It was beautiful to see the community that rallied to protect the rights of women that have been and are fought for. During this formative time, she played me an audiobook before bed that I distinctly remember. The book was Michelle Obama’s “Becoming” which told the story of how Michelle became the respected academic and former last lady she is today. Michelle Obama was educated at Princeton and Harvard Law school, two of the country’s best universities. This story made education feel tangible and something completely in my reach. Naturally, when it came to applying to college, sky was the limit. This wouldn’t have been the case without the help of educated women to look up too.
Women are on top and that’s not a metaphor for a new sexual position. Education is sacred and a matter that can’t lose its emphasis. No matter what hurdles lie on the path, women will overcome it, just like we always have.
