ABSTRACT
Mabel Davis shares one characteristic with an ever-growing number of women over 25 in the United States: they are going back to college, or enrolling for the first time. In some publicly supported colleges, these women make up as much as 10 percent of the student body. The factors influencing a woman's decision to return to college would be complex. Many women face certain social barriers to this decision: their friends or relatives may think that career aspirations are unfeminine; they may be told that they would be neglecting their families by pursuing a degree and later a job. The mature woman must have good reasons for putting up with criticism, misunderstanding, and outright hostility to spend her time in the classroom. The positive aspects of mature women returning to college to prepare for a professional life are numerous. Leaders in education, government, and business should be seriously considering how they can help the mature woman attain her goals.
