Dr. Touchton speaks at AU

Dr. Judith Touchton spoke in Nevins Theater on Oct. 8 as part of the Women’s Leadership Center’s “Women of Influence” program. Touchton is the president of Touchton Partners LLC and the founder of WomenLeadersMove.com. Her presentation was about the inequity found in higher education for women today.

According to recent studies, only 57 percent of females are college students in the U.S. That is a much better statistic than in 1970, where only 42 percent were. Dr. Touchton says, “We’ve come a long way, but we’re not there yet.”

“Higher education was not designed with women in mind,” Touchton said. She would like to change that about our culture. “Part of the reason why women aren’t particularly thought of in college curriculum is because women think and make decisions differently than men,” she said.

Touchton also examined the professional and wage gaps found in today’s working world.

“Men typically like to hire in their own image,” she said. That means choosing someone they feel best represents them in many aspects, including gender. When it comes to pay, women with associate positions are paid 93 percent of what men are, while all ranks are paid 88 percent. She said that these gaps are not created consciously. There are many factors that influence these conditions, with education as one of the most critical. The idea of women’s role in the typical family is also a huge factor.

Though these barriers are still found today, Touchton remained positive about the future of women’s higher education and praised the power of positive psychology.

“Concentration should be on what works and what success is instead of dwelling on what failed," she said. "Academics is challenging and trained to critique, but a lot of movement in change for equity has taken place. I learned the approach of taking note of my mistakes and moving on was best for any success.”