It is important to note that this module addresses women and those considered minorities in the role of graduate education. Minorities can be women with ethnic, religious, gender, cultural or religious backgrounds or physical abilities different from the majority attending the institution of higher education. Silent minorities include those in the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender groups. Voice must also be given to all under-represented groups.

The issues facing women in graduate education are deep-rooted in the past. Thousands of years ago, women were the prominent food gatherers and producers of material goods in society, which led them to be highly respected individuals. However, at some unknown point in time, a gender shift gradually occurred and now modern day notions warrant men to be the principal producers (Campbell and Storo, 1994). There are numerous theories that attempt to explain this shift, most prominently being the role of women as child-bearers. If a woman decided to take on the role of motherhood; it is thought that she would not be sufficient in her other roles such as in the workplace because her mental concentration lies elsewhere. However, no single theory is widely accepted. The differences in men and women's historical roles have played into societal issues within the United States. There are no clear scientifically verified differences between the ability of women and men to function in the field of education. Gender makes us different biologically, but does not imply that one gender can succeed in a particular field better than the other. Men attending Harvard during the 1800s compared intelligence among genders by using the analogy that men have larger brains and therefore were more intelligent than women. Yet they felt women had a head large enough for the emotion of love (Takaki, 1993). While constructing the human genome, scientists have not discovered a gene related to the ability to succeed in 'science' related fields (Campbell and Storo, 1994).

Gender inequalities relating to education began as early as the 10th century when universities were established by and for men, particularly for the sons of land owners. This trend continued well into the 11th and 12th centuries while the renaissance universities continued educating sons of wealthy upper class citizens and leaders of society. However, it was not until the 19th century that land grant universities (LGUs) were developed to educate the commoners and farmers of the communities, still predominantly men. In addition, few minority males were included. However, the two fundamental ethical values of the land grant universities are the equality of opportunity and the research for the working classes, irrespective of wealth, race, or social status. Unfortunately, problems still exist in regard to gender and origin. These two factors are the most important issues for this particular module.