Article: http://chronicle.com/article/For-Women-on-Campuses-Access/129242/
I had encountered this article not too long ago, and it is something that I always keep in the back of my head, and something that helps me to illustrate my support for Leadership Programs and Conferences solely for women. This article takes a look at the differences between men and women in college. It suggests that, in college, women underestimate their abilities, spend more time in extracurricular activities, have higher GPAs, and are more interested in studying abroad as well as learning about new cultures. However, this doesn’t necessarily guarantee success for women. Women are still outnumbered by men in many fields, economics included. It isn’t that women are doing anything wrong, it seems that women tend to lose that sense of empowerment they enter college with, which quite frankly, is very upsetting. Why should women lose the notion that they can succeed? Why should we feel inferior to men or dominated by them in the workplace? We shouldn’t. Women should understand the power that they hold and learn to utilize it. The idea for women-centered leadership programs is quite useful in the sense that it focuses on what women have achieved, helps us to share our success, and helps us distinguish ourselves in the workplace. Empowerment is key, and with it, all women can learn to take the hard work they have put into college, and manifest it into their careers.
Susan Sunny
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Leading Ladies 