If you told your friends that you were planning on attending an all women’s college, chances are they might not take you seriously at first. That is exactly what happened to Jessica Ringo when she announced that she enrolled at the College of Saint Elizabeth.  With the majority of schools being coed colleges, young people have been shying away from same sex institutions. However, many of the 50 remaining all women’s colleges in the country have pledged to stay same sex, according to The Star-Ledger. 

Though many same sex women’s colleges are staying committed to their pledge, some have found ways to provide their students with an enriched college experience (while at the same time increaing revenue) by accepting males into night, online, and graduate classes. Some colleges are also hiring male faculty, which is a major change from the strict female-centered campuses that once existed. Though the addition of male students and staff will no doubt allow students at women’s colleges to grow as individuals, the retention of a same sex student body in day and undergraduate classes will continue to foster a sense of leadership. 

Studies have shown that students who attend all women colleges exemplify exceptional leadership skills and are more likely to pursue a graduate degree than students who attend coeducational schools. Great examples of this are Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton, both of which attended same sex colleges. In today’s world, the need for strong women leadership is a necessity. Conversations surrounding women’s issues in politics, economics, and society can be best discussed when there are both men and women at the table.  The only way this is possible is if there are women who prove to possess the skills necessary to gain power in a male-dominated society. The existence of all women’s colleges facilitates this goal, and will most likely continue to do so in the years to come. 

By Stephanie Vacchio, Union College