Why Choose a Women’s University?
Written by Prof. Yusra Mouzughi - President, Royal University for Women
“If you educate a man, you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman, you educate a nation”
Allowing women access to education has been firmly established as a fundamental human right in countries across the globe, and the importance of women’s education as a lever for economic development is being reinforced day by day in many studies indicating the crucial role women play in contributing to an effective workforce.
Allowing women access to education has been firmly established as a fundamental human right in countries across the globe, and the importance of women’s education as a lever for economic development is being re-enforced day on day in many studies indicating the crucial role women play in contributing to an effective workforce.
Further, despite the fact that women only actively joined Higher Education Institutions since the 1950s and 1960s, their levels of enrolment in universities have exceeded that of men and their average levels of attainment have also been higher than their male counterparts. In fact, the commonly known ‘7 sisters’ was a group of women’s only colleges in the Northeastern USA set up to compete with the Ivy League highly ranked and selective male-dominated universities to serve aspiring women who demanded a high-quality education. These are all interesting indicators of women’s appetite for education, their eagerness to utilize their hard-earned rights, and their commitment to fully leveraging their opportunities.
Education in general, and higher education in particular, is a lifetime investment. It is a passport to a career, financial independence, and effective contribution to larger societal goals. Hence, so much is riding on making the ‘correct’ decision when choosing a university. We all know how difficult it is to choose a university. This has been made even more challenging given the number of institutions available, and the amount of information that we are required to digest from university websites, regulator reports, and accreditation body rankings – all easily accessible at our fingertips through smart devices. This wealth of information, though wonderful in terms of creating options, can also be very daunting. How do we know what we are supposed to be looking for, and how do we compare universities? The increased student mobility for education purposes has further complicated matters and has meant that the choice is not only limited to your geographic region, but your choices could be in far-flung places, thousands of miles away from the comfort of what is known and familiar.
Whilst the majority of universities are co-educational, there is definitely space in the higher education landscape for women’s only institutions as they provide a different type and style of learning experience that is necessary to complement the general higher education ecosystem. Like everything in life, there is a richness in diversity, and strength in choice. Universities dedicated to the education of women have at their very core a focus on how women learn. Scientifically, it has been proven that women learn differently from men, yet our educational establishments have historically been created to accommodate men and the way they learn. Universities have been set up for over a thousand years and have changed very little in that period, whilst women’s involvement in these established structures, both as students and academics, has only really taken place in the last half-century.
A women’s university is a whole ecosystem of education that creates a safe space for women to go on a journey of self-exploration and allows women to ‘sound out’ their voices in a collaborative environment and learn true leadership amongst similarly minded inspired and aspirational peers. This ecosystem creates a lifetime network of supporters and a sense of mission wrapped around the belief that empowering others is critical to empowering yourself.
We are conscious that making a university choice is a very personal decision, one affected by many factors, and we are also very aware that a women’s university is not the right choice for every girl but for some – who wish to join an institution “where women excel”, Royal University for Women may be just the right choice for you.
