We have all endured about one month of being back on campus, which included transitioning into new classes with new professors, seeing the familiar faces of friends returning from studying abroad last semester, and surviving the infamous Snowpocalypse. Spring break is a blurry and distant concept that looms exceedingly out of our reach in March, but heads up sophomores: the time for major declaration is right around the corner. This daunting week in February has been on the back of our minds since before we even started applying to college, and, unfortunately, we can no longer procrastinate this decision for much longer.
Don’t get stressed out! This decision is not set in stone, and we can change our majors whenever we want. It is a choice, driven by our interests and passions, that is entirely our own. However, are there other factors that contribute to what major you eventually end up choosing?
When you’re sitting in class, look around at your fellow classmates. Do you notice how many boys and how many girls are in each class? Does this change based on the subject of the class? When asked if she has noticed any unequal distribution between boys and girls in her classes at F&M, Lizzy Wood ‘17, an art history major, said, “The art history major is predominately female. Generally, the guys in that class are not majors, they’re taking it for a credit requirement… In my experience with math classes, men were the dominant gender. Almost all of my male friends are government, pre-med, or science majors in some way.”
Sociological studies have found that more women take classes and choose majors in subjects such as health, social sciences, or art as opposed to business, economics, or math. This gender segregation carries into the labor force because many people use their majors as a gateway to their future jobs, resulting in more men being employed in business-related fields and more women having jobs in education, for example.
When we are weeks away from declaring our majors, one of the defining moments in our academic careers, it is really important to be socially aware of the inequality that is embedded into our social system. I’m not saying that you should purposefully choose your major as a way to break gender stereotypes (but if you do, that’s pretty awesome too). Follow your interests and pursue the subject that you enjoy. At the same time, recognize and be cognizant of how deeply patriarchal roots in our society have affected people on a seemingly minimal level, as shown through the unequal distribution of the genders across majors.