This meme has been floating around for a few days, but it hit the Tribune today so I thought I'd post it.
Women are increasingly outnumbering men at America's colleges, a gap that is widest--and most troublesome--among low-income and minority students, researchers said in a report released Tuesday.
The share of males age 24 and younger dropped to 45 percent in 2003-04 from 48 percent in 1995-96. The gap is even wider for students older than 25, and among African-Americans and Latinos, particularly those from low-income families.
"Yes, this is a matter of concern, but let's put it in context," said Jacqueline King, the author of the study by the American Council on Education, a group that represents more than 1,600 colleges and universities. "Gaps by gender are still much smaller than gaps in higher education participation by race and by income."
The picture is similar in Illinois, where last fall, 57 percent of college students--from those in community colleges to professional schools--were women. The gaps are widest at community colleges and private universities, where an average 58 percent are women.
Does anyone know what the breakdown at UIUC is?
Is this trend a good thing?
Why has this imbalance occurred?
I have heard this discussed. A couple not-so-bad reasons:
- there are still numerous good opportunities in traditionally male jobs to make a good living without a college education - police and fire, construction, etc.
- the doors have been opened wider for women, so many women that would not have gone to college in the past are going now
and one not-so-good reason:
- high school education has been feminized, making success harder for many boys, pushing them away from higher education
High female to male ratio with access to mass quantities of cheap booze? Sounds like a slice of heaven for male students.
I've heard it said that there's more women at UIUC than men.
I typed too soon. Some quick fact checking says I'm wrong...
Source: http://www.dmi.uiuc.edu/stuenr/ (figures from 2005)
Undergraduate:
Men: 16,240
Women: 14,213
Graduate:
Men: 4,968
Women: 4,220
Apparently, UIUC hasn't seen this change yet.
I would guess engineering, physics, computer science, and ag are still male dominated, keeping U of I more in balance than other schools with different prominent programs.
When I was at EIU the student population was drifting increasingly female. When I went back for grad school, females accounted for well over 57% of the student population.
As a guy, it was a pretty sweet setup. :)
I think we may have set ourselves up for more females than males in college. Unlike when I applied to the U of I, grades for admission to most colleges are now only for the first three years of high school, the senior year grades are ignored for admission. With females having it together long before males in high school they have higher grade averages for those first three years. This results in females not only better grade qualified for college but opportunities to get into the better schools. This is just an observation of my children and grand children of both genders.
I like redstate's first two reasons in his first post. The third reason is totally false, that's strictly an opinion; and not a very good one.
I'm not sure if they factored in tech/trade and/or online schools. I've read several things to indicate those school enrollments are still doing well and I would guess they have higher male enrollment.
One other option could be the national numbers game catching up. If you look at census bureau stats the female gender has outpaced men by 5-7 million total persons per year dating back to 1990. There are more women in the US than men. The current estimates for 2006 show the gap at roughly 4.5 million in favor of the females.
Isn't most of the population gap due to longer lives, meaning most of the "extra" women are seniors?
Here's a few more possibilites to consider:
Most public schools use less of the forms of education that work best with boys. Boys learn best when they're physically active and with hands-on activities. The best time to talk with boys is while walking...perhaps something left over from our hunter-gatherer instincts.
There are also many fewer male role models in public schools for boys, especially during a time when many don't have active fathers in their lives.
A culture that emphasizes the importance of education is weaker among boys, who often have to hide their efforts.
Girls mature faster than boys, putting boys further behind.
A service (vs manufacturing) economy favors strong communication skills instead of physical strength, which favors girls.
Later marriages means women have to be self-sufficient for longer periods of time.
Sorry, I just don't buy the fact that schools are more geared towards women/girls. When I say redstate's opinion isn't a very good one, I mean I don't see how you can justify or substantiate a claim like that. Sorry if that's misinterpreted. If any education were to be characterized as being more feminine, it would be elementary school where a majority of those teachers are female. At least in high school teachers are more balanced M/F.
Anon, you could be right about the "extra" women. I didn't analyze the age group break downs over those years.
Another thought could be that more "Moms" are going back to school than "Dads". I've had many more older women in my courses than men. A lot of these women were stay at home moms or never had a chance at school because life got in the way. They seem more interested in going back or going for the first time than a lot of men do.
J-dub, I didn't pull that theory out of thin air. Our educational establishment has worked hard to make math and science more attractive to girls, but chooses to ignore the struggle boys are facing.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0684849569/104-9553357-6513504?v=glance&n=283155
"At least in high school teachers are more balanced M/F."
Actually, the average is about 75/25 women/men. Many high schools are eager to hire male teachers to also serve as role models. Demand is even higher in middle schools.
Even liberal women's talk shows are now talking about how the boys are getting left behind after years of trying to get girls on par.
It's probably best for our society if everyone has a useful roles to contribute toward a better quality of life, instead of making men mostly useless beyond serving as sexual drones and even technology could quickly wipe out that role.
I hereby volunteer to be mostly useless beyond serving as a sexual drone.
David Limbaugh is with me on this one (as he discusses the removal of dodgeball from schools):
"They tell us they want to promote harmony, community and inclusiveness when what they really want is to push the notion of pacifism and discourage our traditions of competition and rugged individualism."
Just one more thing telling boys that school is not for them.
http://jewishworldreview.com/david/limbaugh071406.php3
We're crushing their instinctual drive for Lord of the Flies dominance.
U of I Law is only about 1/3 women. It's a big problem and the dean is working hard on bringing more balance to the school. As far as parents go, as a student and a mother I can say there are WAY WAY more dads at U of I Law than mothers.