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The Public Policy Roots of Women's Increasing College Degree Attainment: The National Defense Education Act of 1958 and the Higher Education Act of 1965

Publication ,  Journal Article
Rose, D
Published in: Studies in American Political Development
April 1, 2016

© Copyright Cambridge University Press 2016.How do we explain the steep increase in women's higher educational attainment that began in the mid-twentieth century and has continued, unchecked, in subsequent decades? Although many point to the emergence of feminism and the creation of Title IX in the 1970s as the origins of this trend, I argue that two federal student aid programs - the National Defense Education Act of 1958 and the Higher Education Act of 1965 - helped set the stage for women to surpass men as the recipients of bachelor's degrees. Using historical analysis of primary and secondary resources, I present two related case studies that demonstrate the central role that unique political contexts and nondiscriminatory program administration have played in lawmakers' capacity to promote equal opportunity through public policy. This study suggests that women's increasing college degree attainment has important, but frequently overlooked, public policy roots.

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Published In

Studies in American Political Development

DOI

EISSN

1469-8692

ISSN

0898-588X

Publication Date

April 1, 2016

Volume

30

Issue

1

Start / End Page

62 / 93

Related Subject Headings

  • Political Science & Public Administration
  • 4408 Political science
  • 1606 Political Science
 

Citation

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ICMJE
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Rose, D. (2016). The Public Policy Roots of Women's Increasing College Degree Attainment: The National Defense Education Act of 1958 and the Higher Education Act of 1965. Studies in American Political Development, 30(1), 62–93. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0898588X1600002X
Rose, D. “The Public Policy Roots of Women's Increasing College Degree Attainment: The National Defense Education Act of 1958 and the Higher Education Act of 1965.” Studies in American Political Development 30, no. 1 (April 1, 2016): 62–93. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0898588X1600002X.
Rose, D. “The Public Policy Roots of Women's Increasing College Degree Attainment: The National Defense Education Act of 1958 and the Higher Education Act of 1965.” Studies in American Political Development, vol. 30, no. 1, Apr. 2016, pp. 62–93. Manual, doi:10.1017/S0898588X1600002X.
Journal cover image

Published In

Studies in American Political Development

DOI

EISSN

1469-8692

ISSN

0898-588X

Publication Date

April 1, 2016

Volume

30

Issue

1

Start / End Page

62 / 93

Related Subject Headings

  • Political Science & Public Administration
  • 4408 Political science
  • 1606 Political Science