kim

FOr Kim

this my note about my research you should do the change >>>>>and i need the abstract mor argument and have thieses at the end 

> Organigaticn araund a qusotion that is debatable 

>topic sentenses and transitions that make the paregraphs connect togther 

>A question presented at the beginning of ur paper 

>one central topic (you may have too many variab pieces right now)

>men and women paticipationg in class:

_psychology?

_drug use ?

_homosexuality?

thanks a lot 

Aldhafeeri 1

University Men and Women

Abstract

This research is aimed at comparing similarities between men and women in universities. It will focus on the similarities and differences in trends, activities they take part in among other things. Some students take up part time jobs and start early investments. Some choose to study first then work later on; it all depends on one’s own capabilities. Working part time does not affect grades though if one has planned out their timetable well. There is also the case of culture clash when students join universities. There is also exposure to other new things, both good and bad though many students end up going in the negative direction though there are the few who take up the right path and make good choices that affect their futures positively.

In most if not all universities, since time immemorial men have dominated fields such as engineering, law and medicine. These have been thought to be courses for the masculine gender not the feminine. Though as the years have passed by, there has been a recorded increase in the number of women in law faculties mostly. Women have taken charge and are now entering what was usually called the masculine field and are surprisingly doing better than their male counterparts. It has also been reported that there is constant gender discrimination against females who pursue these male dominated courses and programs. In fact, according to Benokraitis, 1998, gender discrimination increases as one goes higher up the educational hierarchy. Women are said to be tender and timid and according to Farley, 1996, they were denied admission to the Illinois bar after being declared unfit for the rude world of law practice. Mainly this is because women have not been accorded the same status and power as men have been given.

Most university students indulge in drug and substance abuse mainly due to peer influence from friends and other peers of the same age group. Drugs are in many forms; orally consumed, others absorbed through the nasal cavity, some injected into the body using syringes and some applied on the skin and absorbed. Males are mainly found indulging in drug related activities. Drug peddling is common especially among male students in search for money. Females are not directly involved, though they are usually involved in trafficking them over long distances since they have more places to hide the drugs on, in or around their bodies compared to males. Males also involve in drugs due to pressure from their female counterparts. It is somehow psychological that women are able to coerce men into doing something compared to same sex coercion.

From previous researches conducted in the past, there has been an increase in the number of homosexuals, both male and female most being in universities. Also research concludes that drug abuse is rampant among homosexuals. Also there is rampant spread of sexually transmitted diseases especially among male homosexuals. Most of these homosexuals engage in drug abuse since homosexuality by itself is not a natural sexual act. Some start because of peer pressure, experimentation and before they know it they are indulged too deep to come out of it. Some even change their sexual orientation from being straight to homosexual or bisexual in search for money in that they practice prostitution. This in turn leads them to a state of depression where they turn to drugs and substance abuse to try forgetting their misery.

Mental health of students has become an important topic especially while students are in their first year they are vulnerable to test, adjust and set new psychological identities. Psychological distress is prevalent among students mainly due to increased anxiety, depression and reasons associated with academic outcomes and diverse social outcomes later on in life. This happens in that there is change from high school to university and the transition of how things run now compared to how they ran back in high school is totally different. Studies conclude that women are mainly affected by psychological distress compared to the percentage of men affected. Girls and women after adolescence are said to encounter more stressful events in life compared to males.

In universities, men are mostly working part time compared to women. This is because men feel they need to have extra money on them to top up on what they receive from their parents or guardians. Furthermore, most men feel they need money constantly to go out and have fun with their friends. Another reason for men to be partly working is to show off to their female counterparts that they can provide. It’s usually common for most people to feel they need to start searching for a partner at around this time. This is a shared sentiment between both men and women and since men are expected to be bread winners of their families, by taking up a side job along their studies they can hence prove ability to provide. When students take up part time jobs, it is all upon them to plan their time wisely and learn how to balance between working and their studies. Sometimes it proves hectic when they have to work and study especially around exam period.

It is also notable that female students mostly live in or within campus while male students tend to want to live outside campus. This is usually because men feel restricted by the rules that apply across most campuses. Female students on the other hand prefer living within school premises since they feel much more secure living under guarded premises.

Sometimes especially to people who have not had a lot of exposure in the past, they find so much freedom which they use doing irrelevant things at the wrong time and they end up being messed up. Some indulge in drugs and partying to an extent they miss going to classes. Some indulge in businesses, both legal and illegal and at times give up studying. It is important to teach young men and women before they join campus what they will encounter and how to handle it lest they fail in life miserably.

In universities is when and where most naïve youths’ minds open up and they get to see the world in a new light. University resembles normal life as a civilian where one enjoys their rights and freedoms unlike the limited environment in high schools. This is when most young entrepreneurs beginning exploring in different fields of businesses to see where they are bound to succeed more. Also this exposure enables one to think along broader lines. One is now able to view society in a new perspective and can now view where there is a problem in society and can now think of ways to curb the newly found problem. For instance, since at this level most have national identity cards and are eligible to register as voters, they can identify that during Election Day most shops are usually closed and can set up a temporary business to sell food and drinks to people in queue.

University men and women tend to be involved in a lot of politics. At some point we can say that most current politicians started back in the university. Observing trends of how current student politics go for instance in Kenya, it is possible to compare with current Kenyan politicians. This is the same case for other countries all over the world. Students’ campaign, each making promises to their fellow students, same way politicians make promises to entice people into voting them in.

From previously conducted researches, it shows that male students talked much longer in male predominant classes where the lecturers were male and majority of class members happened to be of male gender. From the results obtained, it shows that men spoke almost two and a half times more than female student in the same class. The vice versa happens in female predominant classes. Female students have been seen to be inspired by having female lecturers and talked almost three times longer in class. This shows that having same gender role models can help boost students’ performance at some point though some classes happen to be dominated by one gender yet both genders tend to pass almost equally.

Class environment plays an important role in student development. Sometimes we find that a class may be dominated by one gender, mostly the male gender in cases such as engineering, medical and law classes. Sometimes it occurs that men in the class look down upon their female counterparts in class. This in turn leads to their self-confidencedeteriorating since the years spent in university play a very important role in developmental change and impacts majorly how one will be in future. It was also noted that both female students and female professionals tend to have lower self-esteem in comparison to their male counterparts. The effects of having low self-esteem are carried forward to future life where one gets even afraid to speak out especially in male dominated areas. Self-depreciation is a feeling mostly acquired where they are fewer in number compared to their male counterparts and they tend to keep a safe and rather silent distance from their male counterparts and discussions where they are.

Women are considered shy hence in universities; most lectures do not point them out to answer questions claiming that they would not want to put shy students on the spot since it usually has a negative effect. This empathetic sentiment usually backfires and in the end causes the female students to feel less. Substantial contributions to discussions are often made at the beginning of the lesson and as it goes on, other students, especially the females who are considered shy are hesitant to join in. not giving the shy students a chance to speak out in discussions makes them withdraw themselves the more and at most times them not being active in discussions makes their performance deteriorate.

It is also notable that in groups of men and women in campus; women’s groups have a rotary participatory style while men’s groups are more contest-like in that they compete to see who spoke more. In women’s groups, the women usually speak for almost equal periods of time while in the men’s groups, they take uneven time, compete by raising their voices. Apparently it is hard for men to give up their habits and so is it for women to adopt male habits.

After conducting this research, we still have a few questions to ask of issues to be addressed

1. Are high school students well prepared to encounter life in university?

2. What can be done to make women feel comfortable taking up male dominated courses and being in male dominated fields?

3. Should universities have programs to help students improve on their social skills and help them build self-confidence?

4. Should there be programs implemented to help first year students avoid psychological distress as they enroll in universities?

5. What should be done about regulating students from using drugs within campus premises?

6. What should be done to ensure all students pass equally well? Are having role models of the same gender most efficient in students passing?

References:

Benokraitis, N. V. “Career Strategies for Women in Academe.” In L. Collins (Ed.),

Working in the Ivory Basement: Subtle Sex Discrimination in Higher Education. Thousand

Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 1998.

Dermen, Ç. (2004). Masculinity, patriarchy and power relations

Farley, C. H. “Confronting Expectations: Women in the Legal Academy.” Yale Journal

Of Law and Feminism, 1996, 8, 333–358.

Hammes, J. & Haller, E. (1983). Making ends meet: Some of the consequences of part-time

Work for college students.” Journal of College Student Personnel, 24(6), 529-535

World Health Organization (WHO) (1998). Gender and health. Switzerland: Technical paper