Penny Pasque and Shelley Errington conducted an extensive study to establish the position of women in high learning, particularly in institutions of higher learning. Their study incorporated the feminist theory to assess the state of affairs in these institutions, as far as women are concerned.
The book has five sections with nineteen chapters, which are closely related. In the first section, they talk about the waves that have shaped the struggles of women, including the efforts put in place to support women in high education. The scholars argue that at least three waves of feminism have existed since women started fighting for their rights in society.
The contributions of Native American women are much appreciated since they contributed to the elimination of some of the issues that affected women as far as achievement of their dreams were concerned. The major waves of feminism employ various ideologies, including radicalism, Marxism, liberalism, and socialism (Pasque, & Errington, 2011).
In the second chapter of the first section, the two scholars discuss issues that women encounter in their professions. It is noted that professional women have always encountered problems in realizing their academic dreams, particularly in institutions of high learning.
The two authors engaged in research to interview professional women on their views pertaining to the role of women in advancing high education in the country. The findings of their study were shocking because all women expressed their displeasure regarding the roles that society allocates to women.
Women are expected to undertake inferior courses in institutions of high learning, such as nursing and secretary, while men special and advanced courses, such as medicine and engineering are reserved for men.
In the third chapter, the authors talk about some of the techniques that women applied in advocating for their rights. For instance, women collaborated with other minority groups, such as the disabled and people of minority races, to claim their rights in high education.
The second section of the book analyzed the professional experiences of women graduating from the established institutions of high learning. Through research, the authors concluded that life was never easy for any woman. Some women would engage in professional work while at the same time furthering their studies, but few of them could manage this experience.
The student leadership in the institutions of higher learning did nothing to avert this situation. This was mainly because women were under-represented even in the student leadership. However, some women managed to achieve their ambitions through hard work (Pasque, & Errington, 2011). Such women engaged in activism to improve the position of women in society since their situation was becoming worse with time.
Women realized that no one would fight for their rights since each group was concerned with its own welfare. Women drew motivation from the political currents that swept the world, such as the demand for democracy to demand their rights. Political, economic, and social developments motivated women to engage in activism, especially in colleges.
The works of female scholars empowered young women who were interested in excelling in their academics. Women noticed that each group should determine its own destiny meaning that choices should not be imposed on an individual.
In this regard, many female students in various colleges claimed for freedom regarding reproduction. They wanted to be provided with free abortion, free medical care, and protection form gender related violence.
Reference
Pasque, P.A., & Errington, N.S. (2011). Empowering women in higher education and student affairs: Theory, research, narratives, and practice from feminist perspectives. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.