Discuss Yale Needs Women by Anne Gardiner Perkins

The Yale chaplain advised students, “If you want a radical result, do not let the process be publicly radical.” What did he mean and was he correct? Has this strategy been effective at Yale and elsewhere?

Aug. 02, 2021
by marianned

Are there organizations you know of that still need a lot of work to achieve gender or racial equality?

Jul. 29, 2021
by marianned

Have you read any of the books mentioned by the author? Were there books on feminism or women’s history that inspired you as a young adult? Are there any books you recommend similar to Yale Needs Women?

Jul. 29, 2021
by marianned

Do you think Chauncey and Wasserman were right to consider a student's toughness when selecting Yale's first women undergrads? As a high school senior, would you have met this standard?

Jul. 29, 2021
by marianned

If you are old enough to remember 1969, did you feel it was a pivotal year at the time? Are there other years in your life that have been flashpoints, either personally or for society as a whole?

Jul. 29, 2021
by marianned

Brewster Kingman was the biggest obstacle to gender equity at Yale. What was your opinion of his intransigence on this issue? Are obstacles like Kingman still an issue in academia? Perhaps in certain disciplines?

Jul. 28, 2021
by marianned

How were your own college decisions impacted by your gender? Do you view that situation differently now than you did at the time?

Jul. 28, 2021
by marianned

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?

Jul. 25, 2021
by tarablythe

There was debate about whether the first class of women would be put in one or two colleges or distributed across all twelve. How do you think you would have come down on this issue before reading the book? How about afterwards?

Jul. 25, 2021
by elizabethl

Overall, what do you think of Yale Needs Women?

Jul. 25, 2021
by tarablythe

Do you believe male-female ratio was the root of the female students’ discontent? Why or why not? What other factors do you feel played into the women’s unhappiness with the status quo?

Jul. 22, 2021
by smallino

Yale may have gone coed in 1969, yet women were still barred from many traditional paths at Yale and beyond. Which did you think most damaging? Growing up, did you feel your options were limited by your gender?

Jul. 21, 2021
by Karolyn

“The women who go first and speak out help shape a better world for all of us.” Which women in history do you think fit this description? Which do you personally admire? Who are your female heroes or mentors?

Jul. 18, 2021
by marks

With which of the five women students did you identify most closely? Why? Was there another character with which you connected more strongly?

Jul. 18, 2021
by marks

Is there a picture that particularly resonated with you? What drew you to this photo in particular? What questions, if any, do you still have about it?

Jul. 18, 2021
by marks

The New York Times wrote that the first women to attend Yale were “the female versions of Friedrich Nietzsche’s Uebermensch.” Do you agree with this assessment? Why or why not?

Jul. 18, 2021
by marks

What did you learn from Yale Needs Women? What surprised you the most about the women’s stories?

Jul. 18, 2021
by marks

Students and supportive administrators took different tacks to create a better environment for Yale women. Was one method more successful than another? What would you have done? Have you ever participated in a protest march or sit-it?

Jul. 18, 2021
by colleena

What parallels do you see between the experiences and activism of black and white women students at Yale? What are the differences? Do you still see these similarities and differences in today’s society?

Jul. 17, 2021
by Suze

Which groups or individuals were most important to improving the lot of women at Yale in this era? What or whom do you think was the greatest impediment to change?

Jul. 17, 2021
by scottishrose

Have you ever been in a position where you were an extreme minority because of your race? How did it affect how you behaved? How others behaved towards you? Compare this to a situation in which your race was in the majority.

Jul. 11, 2021
by acstrine

"Changes in social structures require a social movement." Do you agree? What examples of social movements do you see today? Do you consider yourself part of any of them?

Jun. 30, 2021
by smallino

We have migrated to a new forum for book club discussions, please join us for our latest discussions on the BookBrowse Community Forum.

Yale Needs Women

Discuss Yale Needs Women by Anne Gardiner Perkins

The Yale chaplain advised students, “If you want a radical result, do not let the process be publicly radical.” What did he mean and was he correct? Has this strategy been effective at Yale and elsewhere?

Are there organizations you know of that still need a lot of work to achieve gender or racial equality?

Have you read any of the books mentioned by the author? Were there books on feminism or women’s history that inspired you as a young adult? Are there any books you recommend similar to Yale Needs Women?

Do you think Chauncey and Wasserman were right to consider a student's toughness when selecting Yale's first women undergrads? As a high school senior, would you have met this standard?

If you are old enough to remember 1969, did you feel it was a pivotal year at the time? Are there other years in your life that have been flashpoints, either personally or for society as a whole?

Brewster Kingman was the biggest obstacle to gender equity at Yale. What was your opinion of his intransigence on this issue? Are obstacles like Kingman still an issue in academia? Perhaps in certain disciplines?

How were your own college decisions impacted by your gender? Do you view that situation differently now than you did at the time?

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?

There was debate about whether the first class of women would be put in one or two colleges or distributed across all twelve. How do you think you would have come down on this issue before reading the book? How about afterwards?

Overall, what do you think of Yale Needs Women?

Do you believe male-female ratio was the root of the female students’ discontent? Why or why not? What other factors do you feel played into the women’s unhappiness with the status quo?

Yale may have gone coed in 1969, yet women were still barred from many traditional paths at Yale and beyond. Which did you think most damaging? Growing up, did you feel your options were limited by your gender?

“The women who go first and speak out help shape a better world for all of us.” Which women in history do you think fit this description? Which do you personally admire? Who are your female heroes or mentors?

With which of the five women students did you identify most closely? Why? Was there another character with which you connected more strongly?

Is there a picture that particularly resonated with you? What drew you to this photo in particular? What questions, if any, do you still have about it?

The New York Times wrote that the first women to attend Yale were “the female versions of Friedrich Nietzsche’s Uebermensch.” Do you agree with this assessment? Why or why not?

What did you learn from Yale Needs Women? What surprised you the most about the women’s stories?

Students and supportive administrators took different tacks to create a better environment for Yale women. Was one method more successful than another? What would you have done? Have you ever participated in a protest march or sit-it?

What parallels do you see between the experiences and activism of black and white women students at Yale? What are the differences? Do you still see these similarities and differences in today’s society?

Which groups or individuals were most important to improving the lot of women at Yale in this era? What or whom do you think was the greatest impediment to change?

Have you ever been in a position where you were an extreme minority because of your race? How did it affect how you behaved? How others behaved towards you? Compare this to a situation in which your race was in the majority.

"Changes in social structures require a social movement." Do you agree? What examples of social movements do you see today? Do you consider yourself part of any of them?

Sorry, Yale Needs Women by Anne Gardiner Perkins is closed for new posts.
Please go to bookbrowse.com/onlinebookclub for a full list of conversations.

We have migrated to a new forum for book club discussions, please join us for our latest discussions on the BookBrowse Community Forum.

Discuss Yale Needs Women by Anne Gardiner Perkins

Sorry, Yale Needs Women by Anne Gardiner Perkins is closed for new posts.Please go to bookbrowse.com/onlinebookclub for a full list of conversations.

Sorry, Yale Needs Women by Anne Gardiner Perkins is closed for new posts.
Please go to bookbrowse.com/onlinebookclub for a full list of conversations.