Women and Higher Education 2000: Michigan, A Smart State For Women?

Since 1964, the mission of the University of Michigan, Center for the Education of Women has been to lower barriers to women’s full participation in education and employment within the University and the larger society. For those with the means to pay for the cost of college or eligibility for enough financial aid to make up the difference, access has been increasing. More women than ever are finishing at least four years of college. In fact, significantly more women than men are currently completing bachelor’s degrees. However, poor women, some of whom in the past have been able to pursue education while receiving public assistance, now face nearly insurmountable obstacles. Their inability to achieve higher education is a loss to themselves, their children, and the state. This report examines the importance of education to women, and the effects of tuition, state and federal financial aid programs, child care, and welfare policies on Michigan women’s access to higher education.