Israeli university heads and several former members of the Israel Council for Higher Education have recently expressed outrage over a law that permits an academic institution to establish gender-segregated master’s degree programs.
Such undergraduate programs have existed in Israel for many years. A few days ago, however, I saw a heated discussion in a faculty WhatsApp group at one of the universities. Its marketing department had made a controversial decision to advertise a bachelor’s degree program exclusively for women. The faculty members were vehemently opposed to the move and determined to prevent it.
The faculty members were scientists, so it was clear to me that they had studied the situation factually. And so, I didn’t understand their rage.
Many high schools and several colleges in the United States are single-gender. Some of the latter, for women, are excellent, including Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Wellesley, Stern and Spelman.
Many studies of these institutions have been conducted to assess the effectiveness of gender-segregated classrooms. A comprehensive, long-term study conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA revealed the following findings for graduates of female-only high schools:
- Three times the probability of continuing in STEM studies.
- 30% more students reaching leadership and management positions.
- More class participation.
- Higher self-esteem.
Numerous studies are based on women’s colleges. For example, a 2007 article published in the Journal of College Student Development, at a time when these colleges exclusively admitted women, demonstrated that black and Latina students performed better academically at women’s colleges. Moreover, graduates of women’s colleges had a higher percentage of women pursuing higher education, and the women exhibited greater self-confidence. A review of the literature reveals no research indicating that women’s academic achievements are superior in co-ed environments.
I could not find any studies that specifically examine separate programs for women pursuing higher degrees. However, the online Master’s program in computer science at Georgia Tech, where the separation is not only by gender but also personal, since students study at home, has been a great success. The program is accompanied by a thorough evaluation of student performance and comparisons with students studying at the co-ed campus. All indicators demonstrate no less success than their co-ed equivalents.
Two points are raised against gender-segregated programs in Israel:
- Even if it is true that studying in separate classes is better for women academically, what is important are “values.” So, we must sacrifice an educational advantage on the altar of those values.
- The problem arises not only in the case of a women’s program, but also in gender-segregated programs for men. If the group is made up of Haredi men who oppose studying with a female lecturer, it harms the livelihood of female faculty members.
Regarding the first point, the only value that should be considered in university education is teaching in the best possible way, so long as it harms no one. Therefore, once it has been proved that studying in a women-only program is more effective, the only question left is whether it harms anyone. In the case of women, it does not, so there is no justification for preventing them from studying under better conditions in the name of other “values.”
As an example, I am a vegetarian, and I think there is moral value to vegetarianism. But if, as head of a department, I prefer to hire vegetarian lecturers who are less skilled than meat-eating professors, I will have betrayed the trust placed in me, in addition to one of the university’s main goals. As I noted above, a university is not intended to impose values, but to impart knowledge in the best possible way.
Regarding the second point, does a men-only program really harm female faculty members? I think the answer is no. If there is no program for Haredi men, then female faculty members will not be teaching men-only courses anyway. Therefore, if men-only courses are opened, it would not worsen the situation of female faculty members but give more work to male faculty. Moreover, if there are also women-only classes, there will be more work for female faculty. In this case, too, there is no infringement of anyone’s rights.
The heads of Israeli universities’ opposition to women-only programs goes against the scientifically proven advantages of such programs. Moreover, given these benefits, I oppose programs exclusively for Haredi women. Women-only programs should be open to all women seeking better learning conditions, whether they are religious or secular.
