This article is featured in the 2025 Commencement & Reunions special issue.
91% of participating female students reported having experienced some form of sexism on campus in a recent survey conducted by The Dartmouth. An even greater percentage of female students, 95.60%, at least somewhat agreed that Greek Life plays a role in reinforcing sexism on campus.
Dartmouth, founded in 1769, was the last of the eight Ivy League colleges to become coeducational. According to survey data, 50 years since the last all-male graduating class, the legacy of Dartmouth’s androcentric history persists.
In the anonymized survey sent to campus in late May, 67.31% of male students agreed that Greek Life plays a role in reinforcing sexism. Gender-exclusive social clubs have been an institution at Dartmouth since 1841 with the founding of Psi Upsilon fraternity. Over the years, the system has stirred some controversy, with, for example, a push in 1999 from the Board of Trustees to eradicate it.
Despite the majority of all surveyed students indicating that they have experienced sexism on campus, the majority — 59.63% — believe that sexism was not one of the “biggest problems” on Dartmouth’s campus. However, this number was significantly different between women and men. Significantly more women classified sexism as one of the College’s biggest problems.
For female students, 51.64% indicated that sexism wasn’t one of the biggest problems on campus. For male students, the overwhelming majority, 75%, indicated that sexism wasn’t one of the biggest problems at Dartmouth.
Students were also asked how frequently they experience sexism. Of the surveyed students, 11.25% reported “frequently,” 27.50% reported “somewhat frequently,” another 28.13% reported “not very often,” and 33.13% reported “very rarely.”
Grouping responses by gender produced a notable difference. For respondees who identified as women, 17.58% reported experiencing sexism “frequently,” 37.36% reported “somewhat frequently,” 30.77% reported “not very often,” and the remaining 14.29% reported “very rarely.” For those who identified as men, 1.96% reported “frequently,” 9.80% reported “somewhat frequently,” 23.53% reported “not very often,” and the remaining 64.71% reported “very rarely.”
Dartmouth has long had a complicated relationship with women. In the early 1970s, as women started to enroll at the College, there was significant resistance from the previously all-male student body. The history is colorful, with a story of male students slipping a letter addressed to all “CUNTS” under the door of female students.
But there have also been moments of progress. When College Presiden Sian Leah Beilock was inaugurated, for example, Dartmouth women said they hoped her tenure would signify a new chapter for women at the College. Today, female students today say they have carved out spaces for themselves in the face of adversity.
Today, Dartmouth also has various initiatives to prevent sexual violence, which is more likely to impact women.
However, in the survey, students shared mixed reviews of the Sexual Violence Prevention Program — a series of training courses required for all students — and the Sexual Assault Peer Alliance. Nearly a quarter, 24.84%, of surveyed students believe these initiatives don’t mitigate sexism at all, while 50.93% believe they only somewhat mitigate sexism. A further 6.83% believe they significantly mitigate sexism, while 17.39% either had no opinion or were neutral. The distribution of responses for men and women were similar.
Of the 231 who filled out The Dartmouth’s survey, 58% identified as women, 33% identified as men, 6% identified as non-binary, and three percent selected “other.”
Methodology Notes:
From Wednesday, May 21 to Wednesday, June 4, The Dartmouth fielded an online survey of the Dartmouth student body on their views of sexism on campus. The survey was sent out to 4,480 undergraduates through their school email addresses. Two hundred and thirty-one responses were recorded, resulting in a 5.16% response rate. Using administrative data from the College’s Office of Institutional Research, responses were weighted by gender, class year and race/ethnicity. Weighting was done through cell-based demographic upscaling. Survey results have a margin of error +/- 4.1% with 80% confidence.
