Dorm Life

Perhaps one of the most notable physical locations where gendered spaces can be seen in in dormatories. When Santa Clara first became a coeducational intitution, men and women were housed in separate complexes, the first residence building for women being off campus as the school had not yet constructed a hall for women on campus in 1961. 

Below are archival documents in chronological order illustrating the placement of women on campus, creating gendered spaces, and the progressive shift from distinct male and female spaces to the eventual integration of women and men together in one space, in this instance, dorms. As spaces became less exclusive to one gender, these locations and the genders inhabiting these spaces evolved into feminist spaces that promoted discourse and environments that emphasized equality and intersectionality.

Note the final item in the gallery below, the Evaluation of Dorm Life, and the positive results of creating coed dorms on campus. Deconstructing rigid gendered spaces for men and women separately had the benefit of fostering more social interactions, the exchange of ideas, and interaction with diverse individuals. Thus, creating these "feminist spaces" where men and women are viewed as equals in one regard is beneficial to all.