Column: Where the Girls Are

Methodology: At 4:30 on a busy Friday afternoon, the author presented herself in the offices of certain academic departments at the University. Through her wheedling of overworked secretaries, lists of graduate student names were obtained and a count was made digitally (by the pointing of the index finger at each name), with a hatch mark scoring system employed on a separate piece of paper. Certain socio-culturally determined judgments regarding the gender of persons based on their first names, were made, and if a problem arose it was referred to the secretary, whose judgments in this matter were final. In some cases, graduate secretaries made the counts themselves, out of a concern for privacy. In one case the author was referred to a bulletin board on which were posted photographs (full-color, passport size) of all the department's graduate students, in which case judgments with regard to gender were made on the basis of hair style. Other data in this study came from an assistant in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, whom the author gratefully acknowledges. Finally, the use of the passive voice and the form of a scientific article were assumed as a mantle of objectivity. The author accepts no responsibility for any political consequences of this data, and it is assumed none of this article's readership will either. Results: It was determined that, while the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences has an overall percentage of 47.4 % women (1026 women out of 2163 total), the percentage of women varies across graduate groups, from Astronomy with 0% women (out of 6 graduate students total) to Social Gerontology with 100% women (out of 10 students total). It was found that high percentages of women graduate students correlate in some cases with the physical location of the department's offices on campus. Specifically, three of the four graduate groups whose offices have moved to the remote outpost of 3440 Market have much higher than average percentages of women graduate students: Folklore & Folklife, with 67% women graduate students, History of Art with 68% women graduate students, and American Civilization with 73% women graduate students. The fourth department that has already moved is Philosophy with 40% women (though several students pointed out women were present in higher numbers in the first year class). A fifth department, History & Sociology of Science, is slated to move in December, and has 60% women graduate students. Data were collected for two other programs at 34th and Market: The Philadelphia Center for Early American Studies, which does not have graduate students but does give fellowships, 66% of which went to women, and for the College of General Studies, whose students, including some at the graduate level, are 64.7% women. Data were not collected for the two progams at 34th and Market which do not currently have graduate students, International Relations and Women's Studies, although it may reasonably be inferred that the latter program serves more women than men at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Conversely, it was determined that having a pair of testicles maps well with having a department office on the heart of campus. Large Arts and Sciences graduate groups firmly lodged on the central portions of campus (including that portion of campus recently referred to by administrators as "the central science precinct") often have unusually high percentages of men graduate students: Among the largest departments which are more centrally located than 3440 Market are Economics, 75% men; Chemistry, 63% men; and Physics, 91.6% men. There are also a number of departments on the central campus whose gender ratio is more balanced, including History, which is 50% men. There is also one large department, Romance Languages, whose percentage of men is very low, 27%. Discusssion: The preceding data raise a number of questions which may be considered in three groups. The first set of questions suggest further directions for research. For example, a large portion of central campus is taken up with the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Do the data we have now predict what gender ratio we might find in that school? We know that first year women students in SEAS comprise 20% of the entire first year class, but data beyond the first year are not yet available, and are left for another investigator. Similarly, in the Graduate School of Fine Arts the gender ratios vary dramatically across departments. It is speculated that the only GFA department slated to move is the Department of Fine Arts, which has the highest percentage of women students. Other GFA departments with low percentages of women graduate students will remain on the center of campus. Precise numbers on these departments are lacking. A second, and more substantive, set of discussion questions are aimed at the underlying reasons for the correlations described above. Many scholars have written about the marginal status of women in academe; the situation on our campus may be seen as the physical embodiment of this phenomenon. The University officially closed the College for Women in 1973; there is speculation that the Graduate School for Women opened in 1991. The third set of questions is practical, and may be seen as exploring the consequences of physical marginalization on those graduate groups whose offices have been moved to 34th and Market. What support services, especially those related to safety and security, have been made available to these exiles? Preliminary investigations show that neither the PennBus nor Escort service have re-evaluated their plans or approaches to take into account the shift of these programs. Walking Escort will not venture as far north as the new facilities to pick up or drop off students. Changes in the patterns of Penn police officers are also called into question. Elizabeth Hunt is a doctoral candidate in History and Sociology of Science from Bloomington, Indiana. Requests for reprints may be directed to the nearest "mixed paper" recycling bin. One Man's Meat appears alternate Wednesdays.

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