Contradictions in Women's Education: Traditionalism, Careerism, and Community at a Single-Sex College, and: Reclaiming Class: Women, Poverty, and the Promise of Higher Education in America (review)

Contradictions in Women's Education contributes substantially to current understandings of women's collegiate experiences. It points to the historical tensions involved in women's participation in higher education, and considers whether those tensions have remained stable or flexible dependent on time and context. Through a six-year longitudinal case study utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methods, Barbara Bank and Harriet Yelon offer unique insight into Central Women's College, a small, non-elite institution in the central United States. Specifically, they examine the tensions associated with the behaviors, attitudes, and expectations of college women regarding traditional gender roles, career ambitions, and integration into college life.