Introduction
In 1998, acting on the recommendation of an ad hoc committee on women’s issues, President Douglas Lee established the Women’s Council. He charged the Council with identifying issues of concern to women, articulating those concerns to the University’s administrative officers, and working to bring women’s perspectives more effectively into the strategic planning process. Throughout the 1990s, the task of representing women’s interests had been assigned to a Women’s Advocate, who served as a member of the President’s Staff. With the creation of the Women’s Council, this position was renamed (University Adviser on Women’s Issues) and restructured so that the person appointed to the position would also serve as Chair of the newly-created Women’s Council.

President Lee asked the Women’s Council to prepare a report that would (1) identify major areas of concern to Stetson women, (2) recommend solutions to existing problems, and (3) propose strategies for working toward both short- and long-term gender equity goals. The report that follows is our response to that charge. It identifies some of the significant changes that have occurred in the past decade. It articulates some of the challenges we still face, institutionally and individually. It considers where we are now, at the turn of the century, both in terms of perceptions and realities. It documents some of the economic, political, and social conditions that affect women at Stetson at this point in time.

We are, of course, well aware that the views expressed here cannot possibly represent the views of every woman on the Stetson campus. In the strictest sense, "the woman’s perspective" is a fiction. Women at Stetson (as elsewhere) constitute a diverse group; they experience their work lives and the issues affecting women differently. At the same time, we would argue that there are institutional and social practices at Stetson that similarly affect women in the workplace and in the university. Further, many of the concerns that are often considered "women’s issues" (like child-care, family leave, or flex-time) are really concerns that men and women share. Finally, if this report reflects the views of the particular women who have been appointed to the Women’s Council, it also draws upon years of work and analysis on these issues by diverse groups of faculty, staff, students, and administrators.

It is our hope this report will help generate the kind of reflection, discussion, and debate among both men and women that will lead to a greater awareness and help facilitate further change. Questions about this report can be directed to Dr. Karen Kaivola, Chair of the Women’s Council and University Adviser on Women’s Issues, or, indeed, to any member of the Council.

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