Should women studies programs exist anymore?

Question

They where created because colleges where normally a male dominated place(along with women centers).

But now that women dominate colleges and universitys by almost 60% nationally and higher depending on the college or university isn't program's like these sexist and discriminatory?

Shouldnt men be given a "mens center" and studies based around us?

How can it be justified that the majority group still enjoys all the privelages of a minority group?

Answer 1

If you want a male studies program, by all means, have one. I couldn't care less if I was paid to try. : )

Answer 2

As Rush Limbaugh said:

The most sexist sexists, are feminists.

Answer 3

I always wondered how 52% of the population managed to claim minority status and priviledge..

But I reckon keep women studies because it just reinforces for many how absurd the concept is merely by its continuing existence when they now call the shots

Edit: afro-americans are a minority. They need a voice. Women have half the population to speak for them. Logic

Edit: @ male victimhood. So this is a vastly subjective claim that women are a minority group since you could argue that any observation of inequality by definition (even that created by equal rights and opportunity) makes them unequal members of society. Lucky you..

haha personal attacks prove nothing except the inability to remain secure within your own knowledge. Congratulations for proving that point

edit: lack of awareness doesn't mean an inability to understand. I'm sure if you explained it very clearly we could soon catch up =D

Answer 4

Of course these courses should still exist, so that history, socio-political and cultural studies can be re visited and re addressed to include women's hidden contribution to it - everything from Art to Science. Read Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own; especially the part about Shakespeare's sister.

Yes, women are doing well in colleges now, pretty amazing when we did not enter them in any numbers until the 60's onwards, and as for the Institutions being male dominated, you answer your own question, they were and ideologically still are.  Whose knowledge do we acquire? And since when has any 'minority' enjoyed privilege?

Society western and emerging nations is still male dominated, its frame of reference is male.

And if you want a take on sexism...women cannot be sexist towards men; they can show prejudice, but there is no power base from which to systematically oppress and disenfranchise based on their subordinate status.

Answer 5

Yes.  Just like Afro-American studies and Ukranian studies.  Why aren't you complaining about them too?

Hint: you need to look up the sociological definition of "minority".  Shame you have no background in the material but remain blissfully unaware of that factoid.

"As the term is used by politicians and social scientists, a minority is necessarily subordinate to the dominant group within a society. This subordinancy, rather than a numerical minority, is the chief defining characteristic of a minority group."

Au contraire, MasterB: education!  You possess neither.

*Please don't try to BS me.  Its obvious neither of you have any background because you're not even aware of the DEFINITIONS OF KEYWORDS.  This is "Introduction to Sociology" stuff.

Answer 6

We could always do with more radical feminists making a laughing stock of the female gender

Answer 7

Are you proposing the government should ORDER people what they can and can't study?

How DoublePlusGood!

Answer 8

Actually, you need to look at your data again.  It is true that more women are going to college than men; however, men still make up more of the college faculty (esp in political science, economics, sociology, math, etc).  Many colleges are changing the name of their women's studies programs to gender studies because lets face it...it isn't just about women.  Men are often discriminated against based on the fact they are men (look at family court).

You also need to reexamine your view of the majority group.  Women may make up slightly more of the population, but we are still sorely outnumbered in many fields.  Women on average still make 74cents on the dollar compared to men.  

You also need to reexamine your view of sexist and discriminatory.  Since women's studies is really a focus on gender it involves men as well.  I know many men who have taken these classes and actually learned quite a bit.

Answer 9

Any study should exist as long as it is rigorous and proceeds from facts, evidence, and well-founded inferences.

There will always be a certain bias in anyone's work (value-free is an illusion), but if it courses through the whole methodology that's a bad sign.

Many novels have more facts in them than most works of  feminism. Any pockets of open-minded feminism are drowned out by the women's studies feminists who are led by an ideology.

I want to be clear about this: I don't advocate abolishing women's studies, or oppose it because of some personal grievance. I just think that it is under the sway of postmodern crankery and dodgy literary theory (imagined semiotics and the like). Women need to save women's studies before it embarrasses itself into oblivion. If it does that it can only hold on by deception.

Answer 10

I want to study men, why do they not offer a class where I can understand them more...this is blatenty sexist, why would I want to study women when I am one?

Answer 11

Like any other course of study, these courses will continue to be offered as long as there are students wishing to fill the places available.

If student numbers drop, the courses will no longer be offered.

There is no *should*.

Cheers :-)