The Women's Center, Barnard College, pamphlet, 1971, page 13

          maintain a scholarly, productive faculty concerned
with undergraduate education. Today Barnard College,
by virtue of its tradition and its resources, has some
unique opportunities to lead in certain curricular and
extracurricular innovations described in this booklet.
I am particularly concerned about Women's Studies.

Courses dealing with feminine and masculine roles
of past and contemporary societies or with psychologi-
cal sex differences are as important for male as for
female scholars and students. Such studies address
themselves to intellectual problems of broad theoretical
significance. Moreover, they illuminate the social roots
of personal conflicts and may thus serve to increase
rationality in human affairs. But it is my impression
that male undergradutes do not demand such courses
and that male scholars are not likely to address them-
selves to such research, partly because the topics have
the ring of less prestigious "feminine" concerns. The
more important reason for the neglect lies elsewhere.
For all the latent anxieties, and conflicts of values and
interests that male students and their professors experi-
ence in this sphere, the whole issue of sex roles is not as
stressful, and therefore not as salient, for them as it is
for women - and so the impetus for such research and
courses is likely to come from women.

In the long run, Women's Studies, if they fulfill their
mission, will make a contribution to knowledge of
universal significance. Similarly, the Women's Center
will become of concern also to male members of the
University community. The roles of women in our
society cannot be changed without also changing the
role of men. If women must be the prime movers, and
I believe they must, the sooner we involve men in
this common endeavor, the 
brighter the prospects for 
accomplishing our goals.

Mirra Komarivsky 
Professor Emeritus 
of Sociology  

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