Did you know that for every 100 women in college, there are only 77 men? And for every 100 women that receive a college degree, only 73 men attain the same honor? This information comes from the Postsecondary Education Opportunity, from an article written by Cate Doty in the New York Times.
The article discusses the need to address male learning styles, lack of positive male role models for at risk males, and media portrayal of smart young men as total geeks. Well, I certainly agree we need to look at this issue, but as a former Lecturer at the University of Texas at Dallas in Gender Studies, I have a couple of thoughts to share.
When girls were lagging behind boys in educational attainment, it took years and years, study after study, and painstaking research to convince anyone that males were being favored in the intellectual process and that successful women were not getting enough media coverage, or academic coverage for that matter. As schools did begin to address some of the issues regarding gender bias that favored boys, girls began to soar. Now we have more female students, more female college and high school graduates than males. Remember, this is without complete equity in education or in the work force for women. Even while women are still discriminated against in many venues, women in this country have begun to achieve at a higher level than ever before, and suddenly, boys are being short suited. I just find it so interesting that it has become such a hot topic, so quickly, now that girls are outstripping boys in academia. I mean, women are still waiting for an Equal Rights Amendment, women are still paid less for the same work, and domestic violence and sexual violence continues to be a societal shame in this country. But we need to address why boys are being left behind in the same educational system where they once out performed girls.
I don’t have a problem with healthy discussion and intellectual investigation. It is, however, very important that we remember that the goal of equity for women has not yet been reached, and we need to keep working to make that dream a reality. As girls have made gains, I doubt that boys have lost…. it is just that it feels that way now that girls are beginning to perform at a higher level. I’ll have to research that…. but in the meantime, read about the top countries in the world who have gender equality (no, the USA is not among them), and don’t worry about the men too much yet….
