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Man? Where? There!

Submitted by ZoeHlmn on Sun, 11/04/2012 - 4:07pm

Life Experiences

Never did I expect to find myself at an all women's college. Men have always played a huge role in my life whether they were my best friend or my boyfriend or my father. However, now that I am here nothing seems very different. There are still men around there are just less of them. The other day when I was talking to my friend Brian he was telling me that as he walks around Bryn Mawr and will often get prejudice looks from Bryn Mawr women. My father also recieved the same feeling the first time he visited campus as well. Although Bryn Mawr is a women's college and fosters a culture of strong women, is not the point of doing this to decrease the gender gap not increase it in the other direction? Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I know this is less about the environment and more about the culture of our campus but I feel it should be addressed.

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Comments

Good points

Submitted by Sarah Cunningham on Mon, 11/05/2012 - 9:02pm.

I had some of the same thoughts... It can be uncomfortable being in the minority, and that could make a person hypersensitive or even paranoid. It takes a lot to be one of a few women among a lot of men-- a lot of confidence, a lot of chutzpah, a lot of ENERGY. And, there may be some Bryn Mawr women who are freshly relishing the whole "death to the patriarchy" ethos, and letting it show a bit! Not ideal, maybe, but also not totally terrible, something about correcting an imbalance. And some men still interpret the way a woman dresses or wears her hair as being personally directed at them. And I find myself sometimes taking a good long look at a man on campus, trying to figure out in what role he might be there: student? professor? businessman? family member? Which could be uncomfortable for them...

I think this is interesting,

Submitted by mbackus on Sun, 11/04/2012 - 7:56pm.

I think this is interesting, I have heard similar comments from men on the Bryn Mawr campus. My father popped into my head while I was reading this, because when he came to visit me, he didn't experience any of that at all. However I happen to think that the reason he didn't experience that is because he was oblivious to it or he didn't care if it was happening. Playing the devil's advocate here, but maybe men feel that way because they are hypersensitive to the fact that they are on a women's college campus? Maybe the prejudice isn't that intense, but becaue they are aware that it is an all women's college they feel like it should be? I wouldn't really know, becaue I am not a man and I feel nothing towards the men that are on campus, but I think it is a possibility.

Hmm

Submitted by ZoeHlmn on Mon, 11/05/2012 - 12:09am.

I actually agree with the fact that men think they are being prejudiced against when they really aren't and are just not used to the fact that they are the minority on campus.