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Males and College Enrollment

Since 1987, more women have been enrolling in college than men (1). In 2010, for example, the American Council on Education found that 57 percent of those attending college were female, and 43 percent were male (2). One commentator from National Public Radio explained this by saying that “boys are directed toward sports and rewarded more for their athletic [ability] than for their classroom work” (3). While this may be an oversimplification, it does make you wonder why males aren't keeping up with women in college attendance. Perhaps males choose careers that offer comparable wages, but that do not require a college education (construction, for example); perhaps kindergarten through twelfth-grade education somehow caters to females (though I do not personally see that in our junior high school program, at least); or perhaps our culture communicates the message to males that academic achievement is not valued as highly as other forms of achievement (including sports). Like many historical events, it is likely a result of more than one cause.

It isn't as though males are choosing not to attend college. Indeed, in 2009, the year for which the most recent data is available, 38.4 percent of all males aged eighteen to twenty-four were enrolled in a two- or four-year institution, a number higher than any previously recorded year (4). Still, the growing number has not kept pace with the number of females attending. Something other than college is catching males' attention.

1. Taylor, Paul, Richard Fry, et. al. "College Enrollment Hits All-Time High, Fueled by Community College Surge." Pew Research Center. Washington, DC: 29 October 2009. Web. 21 December 2011.
2. “College Gender Gap Appears to be Stabilizing With One Notable Exception, ACE Analysis Finds.” American Council on Education. Washington DC: 26 Jan. 2010. Web. 9 December 2011.
3. Deford, Frank. “Sports Obsession Holds Boys Back in College.” National Public Radio. Washington, DC: 13 September 2006. Web. 9 December 2011.
4. National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC. Web. 21 December 2011.

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