WOMEN IN THE EARLY DAYS OF UNIVERSIDAD MICHOACANA THE MINUTE 14 OF THE HONORABLE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Abstract

There are studies on sex/gender-based injustice and discrimination within academic institutions, generally referred to with metaphors such as “glass ceiling” or “sticky floor” for those who identify as non-males, specifically women. Here, I present results of a historical exploration of the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo that shows, with documentation, decisions which put a stop to the presence of women in higher education. I prove that this was not necessarily nor exclusively due to the malicious intent of some males but to the pressure to act given the circumstances they saw themselves in. This piece is part of a project on applied sciences. I purpose to encourage a public reading of the 14th Minute of the H. Consejo Universitario of the UMSNH, an extraordinary meeting called by the then rector Ignacio Chávez the 7th of March 1921, to decide on how to apply the due punishment (expulsion) of a 5th year student of the Normal (university studies for primary teachers). Said student was a few months away from completing her degree. The fault she committed: being visibly pregnant. Understanding the context of this document allows us to see the complexity of the actions that converge in these crucial times, for the University, for Michoacán, and for Mexico. The public reading I propose will be an opportunity to reflect on the concepts of harm, responsibility, punishment and power within the University, framed by the sex-gender difference. 

Keywords: university, woman, discrimination, Michoacan, Mexico