Nancy Weiss Malkiel reveals how the old male establishment blocked women from college

Related Link An interview with Nancy Malkiel on the struggle for coeducation

It may be hard for today’s undergraduates at elite colleges and universities to imagine that many of their institutions -- as recently as the 1960s and 1970s -- would not admit female students. These days when coeducation is in the news, it is typically a women’s college deciding to admit men. But the reality is that coeducation at elite institutions that were once all male did not happen overnight -- and didn’t happen without considerable backlash from alumni and others. Nancy Weiss Malkiel tells the story in “Keep the Damned Women Out”: The Struggle for Coeducation (Princeton University Press). Malkiel is professor emeritus of history at Princeton and served there as dean of the college, overseeing the undergraduate academic program, for 24 years.

Her book details how American and British universities moved toward coeducation, typically with some leaders pushing the process through against strong opposition from alumni and others who wanted, as the book’s title says, to “keep the damned women out.” The presidents formed committees, lobbied influential faculty members and tradition-minded trustees, and also eyed their competitors. One section of the book explores how Smith, Vassar and Wellesley Colleges considered coeducation, with only Vassar opting to make the move.

Malkiel responded via email to questions about her book.

Q: What message do you think was sent by these institutions to the young people (male and female) of that era, by barring women?

A: The message was very clear: women were second-class citizens. The historic role of elite universities was to train leaders -- for public life, for the professions, for commerce. Leaders meant men. ...