There’s been a lot of press lately on the gender gap in higher education. As of the most recent report by the American Council on Education, while men currently make up only about 43% of college enrollment, the gender gap is for the most part holding steady.
The following chart, published by Inside Higher Ed, shows the percentage of male undergraduates who are ages 24 or younger, according to race and ethnicity.
|
Group |
1995-1996 |
1999-2000 |
2003-2004 |
2007-2008 |
|
All |
48% |
46% |
45% |
46% |
|
White |
49% |
46% |
46% |
47% |
|
Black |
37% |
40% |
40% |
41% |
|
Latino |
45% |
45% |
43% |
42% |
|
Asian |
54% |
50% |
50% |
49% |
|
Native American |
n/a |
45% |
44% |
49% |
You’ll see that most ethnicities are holding steady, neither widening nor narrowing the gender gap significantly; Latino male enrollment, however, does seem to be decreasing. The report shows that educational achievement and enrollment is lowest among Hispanic men who were born outside of the United States.
One explanation for the widening gender gap among Latinos, according to Deborah A. Santiago, VP for Policy and Research at a Latino advocacy group, is that “for many low-income Latino males, the opportunity costs of higher education seem too great, when they compare paying for college to ‘earning $25 an hour in a construction job.’”
It is because of this attitude, elaborates Santiago, that work-study programs may be the only way to appeal to these Latino immigrant males.
And what about the future of gender gaps in higher education? Will the men ever catch up?
According to an article in The Chronicle, the current economic situation may actually help further narrow the gap.
Jacqueline E. King, a vice president at the American Council for Education, explains this outlook:
There has been some anecdotal evidence coming in from community colleges saying that since the recession, they’ve seen enrollment of non-traditional-aged men expanding pretty rapidly. They’ve been laid off or they’re worried about being laid off, so the job market is pushing them to upgrade.
That’s not to say that the number of male applicants below 25-years-old will also go up, but it is a start.
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Read the full article: Higher Education Gender Gap Stabilizes, Mostly
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