Although women have been known to experience sexism in the early 1900’s throughout America, Purdue’s history has been able to prove that wrong. While many women had difficulty seeking jobs or were underpaid for the same jobs men were doing, Purdue didn’t see the justification to discriminate against female faculty members. Many of Purdue’s female faculty led to the world wide renowned reputation it has now. Faculty members such as Amelia Earhart, Susan Butler, and to the present day Elisa Bertino have built the founding place for academic success. To understand how female faculty impacted the shaping of Purdue we will first look at the most significant position relating to this topic; the dean of women.
carolyn shoemaker
Purdue’s first dean of women, Carolyn Shoemaker serving from 1913 to 1933, made a significant impact on women in the early 1900’s (Bush). With bombarding ideas of sexism coming in from all around Purdue was caving in, and needed a structure to keep women treated fairly. Shoemaker in her 20-year term as dean of Women was able to save Purdue from deep sexism (Purdue). Although times were different back then, she installed the rule where no woman was allowed to leave her dorm alone past 10:00pm without a man (for her own protection), but she did allow women to explore all fields and majors of study (Purdue).
Previously men dominated math and science, but she opened up and encouraged women to pursue math and scientific research as a career (Purdue).
Previously men dominated math and science, but she opened up and encouraged women to pursue math and scientific research as a career (Purdue).
SUSAN BUTLER
Susan Butler created structured centers for leadership for women later in the century. Starting in the Krannert School of management as a student she graduated with only five females in her class in the year of ’65 (Markee). She continued after college for a 30-year journey until she opened up the Susan Bulkeley Butler institute for the development of women leaders, and created a center for her institute here on Purdue campus in Krannert (Markee). Her institute teaches and builds upon the foundation of leadership skills in women.
Her center helps women in self-exploration, finding a career they will succeed in, as well as guidance if women feel discriminated against (Markee). Butler’s teachings and experiences are on exhibit in the Stewart center to honor our Purdue alumni and the reputation she has helped build here (Markee).
Her center helps women in self-exploration, finding a career they will succeed in, as well as guidance if women feel discriminated against (Markee). Butler’s teachings and experiences are on exhibit in the Stewart center to honor our Purdue alumni and the reputation she has helped build here (Markee).
ALICE PAWLEY
Currently
there have been efforts to promote research in female studies and how females
in certain fields of studies are treated. Professor Alice Pawley, a professor
teaching first year engineering, focuses her research on women in engineering.
Her research looks at how women in engineering are treated in their career as
well as in their learning experiences (Pawley). She
observes the differences between women and men in her classes, by video taping
her classes and observing students as they learn. Her research has found that
women in engineering are more drawn to physical buildings and structures, like
civil engineering, than mechanical or computer engineering (Pawley).
She plans to publish her research in 2016 on her research conducted starting in
2010. Her program is not very big but she assumes it will grow after she
publishes her research in 2016. Her publishing will be the first published
research on women in a field of study that Purdue has seen(Pawley).