The all-male Harvard Porcellian Club club rejects women since its founding in 1791

As explained by the president of the club’s alumni group, Mr. Charles M. Storey, “forcing single-gender organizations to accept members of the opposite sex could potentially increase, not decrease, the potential for sexual misconduct.”

Since 1984, the clubs that do not admit women are not recognized by the prestigious university. Today, only six clubs at Harvard, including the Porcellian, still choose to respect their own policy on the “single-sex” admission rule.

Commenting the “all-male” regulations of these groups, Harvard College’s dean, Rakesh Khurana, stated that this kind of clubs are “at odds with the aspirations of the 21st-century society”. According to his opinion, “the college has a responsibility to protect our values and our students’ well-being, even in the face of perceived short-term challenges of changing the status quo.”

Despite Harvard’s long tradition to establish all-male social clubs, Storey’s statement triggered critical reactions and ironic comments from both media and women-officials and resulted in the president publicly apologizing for his “poorly chosen words” via website.