Yale Needs Women chronicles some of the sexual assault and harassment suffered by Yale's women students. How has this situation improved for women college students since 1969? How has it remained the same?

Yale Needs Women chronicles some of the sexual assault and harassment suffered by Yale's women students. How has this situation improved for women college students since 1969? How has it remained the same?

I think that colleges are more aware of the problem now than in 1969. There are many more awareness groups now. I know that there have been improvements, but I still feel that sexual assault and sexual harassment are still prominent on college campuses. There is the Clery Act demands that schools provide crime statistics and safety policies to the public. So those types of laws were not around in 1969. More can be done.

Things have progressed since 1969 in that incidents of sexual harassment and assault are much more likely to be reported and acted upon, but as long as anyone feels it’s their right to harass or assault another person, the problems will continue. Even now, many incidents go unreported because victims are afraid to speak out.

The era of Yale Needs Women is my time in undergrad and grad college years. If sexual harassment stigma occurred, it was brushed under rug and I feel little was done to right the wrong. Today young women have opportunities to be assertive/ aggressive to share these transgressions. But there’s a long way still to go and more can be done

I would like to believe things has improved, however, sexual harassment and assault still remains. I don't believe it will ever end, father's teach their son's which perpetuates the bias. Look at the activity in our government, they get away with it!

Well for one thing there is access to birth control, which wasn't available in 1968 when I went to college. And there is access to abortion is many states, especially on the coasts and in the North. I remember taking a friend to a backdoor abortion by a Dr in SC. She was handed off to us through that same backdoor to return home to NC. Very scary times. And I believe there is acceptance of women's sexuality, which in the 60's/70's we were still tagged with the term "slut" if we showed interest in sex. Well assaults are still happening, but I'd like to think parents are more attentive to the protections colleges provide for their young people.

In my opinion, the problem still exists but becomes newsworthy more often. College administrators can’t as easily sweep sexual harassment under the rug. Sometimes I’m not sure how much that publicity accomplishes, however. Although women have birth control and legalized abortion (prepare for that to change as the Supreme Court revisits Roe vs. Wade), they are still faced with the fact that their bodies are controlled by others.

The Departemnt of Education under Betsy DeVos changed the federal rules for assaults on college campus, and those rules went into affect in 2020. A lot of women believe these rules will make it more difficult for women to be treated fairly because of how the rules seem to benefit the perpetrators.

I remember blue emergency lights on poles throughout campus that could be activated in an emergency. We sat through a workshop when my son went to college about drinking and assault.

30% of women experience violence in their lifetimes. We are more aware, but I don’t think behaviors of all men have changed. There are many who feel entitled and use their privilege to avoid consequences. Schools don’t want to seem unsafe because student enrollment will suffer. I think too that many women take responsibility for rape and assault and are too embarrassed or ashamed to report. While there are more crisis centers and counseling available, funding for these programs stinks!

I think it's improved somewhat now because there is more awareness, but also because there are also more ways to bring attention to the schools when it happens. Administrators don't want their schools to be seen in a negative light.

I believe it has improved, but we have a very long way to go. I'm remembering the Brock Turner case out in California. If it had not been for the two male graduate students intervention and testimony, he would never have been convicted. As it was he was only sentenced to 6 months and got out in three. He never demonstrated any remorse and his own father stated that the sentence was unfair for "20 minutes of action during his twenty plus years of life." So, yeah, the attitudes and problems definitely still exist...but I do think we are doing better--it's still not good enough though.

Has it improved? Maybe based solely on the aspect of more women being willing to come forward. But there's still a lot who will not come forward. And there's still a serious issue with things being swept under the rug. You don't want to believe it's still like that... but it is. At least it is in my little area of the country- small town southern Illinois.