By: centraljersey.com
A presidential committee at Princeton University has issued a report finding that, while women undergraduates are providing leadership in many organizations across campus, they are less prominently visible in some major campus posts in the last 10 years than they were in the earlier years of coeducation.
In a report released March 21 after more than a year of work, the Steering Committee on Undergraduate Women’s Leadership appointed by President Shirley M. Tilghman noted that this is an issue on college campuses across the country and not a Princeton-specific phenomenon.
The 18-member committee of students, faculty and staff examined data from peer institutions, and learned that many patterns observed at Princeton in the course of the study are common on other campuses.
The committee found that women, more than men, tend to hold behind-the-scenes positions or seek to make a difference outside of elected office in campus groups; that women do not assert themselves as often in class discussions, yet tend to outperform men academically; and that these and other patterns reflect the different ways in which undergraduate men and women view their college experience.
Committee chair and Princeton professor Nannerl O. Keohane said the decrease of women in high-profile posts could in part reflect "a popular culture that simply has not been very supportive of women" taking these positions. It is an area ripe for more research, she said.
"We are finding some thought-provoking patterns in how women and men define leadership and the different objectives that undergraduate women set for themselves," Prof. Keohane said. "I want to avoid generalizing to all women, but many alumnae and students tell us that they prefer working behind the scenes in ‘high-impact’ but not ‘high-profile’ jobs. Perhaps more women than men feel comfortable in these roles – for whatever reason. This expressed preference is something we need to understand and honor; but we should also recognize the advantages to the individual and to the University of having more women in high-level posts."
The report will be discussed at several upcoming meetings, including a conversation with President Tilghman, Prof. Keohane and members of the committee set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 23, in Dodds Auditorium of Robertson Hall on the University campus. The event is free and open to the public.
Prof. Keohane served as president of Wellesley College from 1981 until 1993 and of Duke University from 1993 until 2004, when she became Princeton’s Laurance S. Rockefeller Distinguished Visiting Professor of Public Affairs and the University Center for Human Values. A specialist in political philosophy, leadership and feminist theory, she published a book last year titled "Thinking about Leadership."
"What’s notable is that Princeton is taking a leadership role among universities in candidly and thoughtfully addressing issues about gender and leadership through the formation of our committee and through continued campus discussions," Prof. Keohane said.
The report includes five broad recommendations intended to encourage women (and men) to be leaders in a variety of contexts and to support the entire University community as it continues to address stereotypes. The 100-page document also offers specific recommendations in areas including orientation for first-year students, mentoring, faculty awareness, leadership training, and monitoring and moving forward. Many of the recommendations include ways to expand and strengthen programs and opportunities already in place at Princeton.
"I am grateful to Prof. Keohane and her colleagues for coupling these recommendations with a number of practical steps to achieve them," President Tilghman said. "If this report could be summed up in one idea, it is that for Princeton to fully realize its potential as an academic and social community, all its members need to be full participants – ready, willing and able to use their talents as they themselves judge best. That is our charge going forward."
The report, along with a summary, is available online at: www.princeton.edu/reports/leadership.

