ABSTRACT
The history and development of women in college and the history and development of men in college are not two stories containing the same events, the same issues and processes, and a matching set of salient and relevant aspects of identity, neatly lined up next to each other. We now realize that gender is not a binary construct and that gender identity development in the context of higher education encompasses myriad stories and perspectives. But why does the gender story matter at all? This chapter discusses the context for identity development in women and men in college, putting this development in a historical context while describing relevant developmental theories and models. Finally, the chapter addresses what we most need to know about the outcomes of development related to gender so that we can work most effectively with and on behalf of college students.
