Standards (1890-1920)
Women and Higher Education
The colleges and universities' late-nineteenth century search for students had facilitated women's admission alongside men into post-secondary institutions. Women were only 21% of the total college population in 1870, but by 1920 women comprised nearly 50% of the college population. While all-female colleges provided women with educational opportunities, women did enroll in coeducational institutions, especially the state universities.
Once considered unable to engage in academic work, women were inducted into Phi Beta Kappa in large numbers. However, women's higher education was often limited to certain fields, such as education, social work, or the humanities. Nonetheless, women created opportunities to expand and utilize their post-secondary education.
