Women’s universities and non-state actors

At a time when women are the majority of postsecondary students in the world and when coeducation (mixed gender) is the predominant model, some people are surprised that women’s colleges and universities (WCUs) persist. They wonder why WCUs exist, who attends them, and why. The answers to these questions vary from region to region but are rooted in the history of girls’ and women’s access to education and to unresolved inequities in higher education and society. In all but a few nations, WCUs were founded when women had limited or no access to postsecondary education. Over time, many of these original WCUs closed, merged with coeducational institutions, or admitted men; some remain open as WCUs. New WCUs have been established to increase women’s access, particularly in regions where coeducation is not viewed as a culturally acceptable option, or to provide specific curriculum such as science and technology. WCUs also offer positive environments for women students, access to leadership development and campus involvement, and encouragement to pursue fields of study that are male dominated. While there are public WCUs in some nations, non-state actors are key players in this sector.