TheIncreasingGenderDisparityin CollegeDegreeAttainment
ThegendergapinAmericanhighereducationhaswidenedsignificantly,withmen fallingbehindwomeninbothcollegeenrollmentandcompletionrates.Asofthe early2020s,womenhaveoutpacedmeninearningbachelor'sdegreesforseveral decades,withthedividecontinuingtogrow,oftenreferredtoasthe"enrollment flip".In2021,menreceivedonly42%ofbachelor'sdegrees,thelowestshareon record,whichisroughlyequaltothe43%ofdegreesawardedtowomenin1970 (source: https://aibm.org/research/male-college-enrollment-and-completion/).
Comparedtotheirsisters,youngmenarestrugglingtograduatefromhighschool, strugglingtocontinuetheireducationsintocollege,andfinallygraduatefrom college.Inaword,malesarefailingintheeducationalsystem.Theyarefailing comparedtowomen,comparedtotheneedsofacollegeeducatedworkforce, andtheyaremostcertainlyfailingtoachievethepotentialoftheirownlives.
Overthelastthreedecades,maleshavemovedfromsuperiornumberscompared tofemalesatmostpointsintheeducationalsystem,tosharplyinferiornumbers. Thestorythatresultsfromthischangecouldbetoldineitheroftwoways:either thesuccessofwomen,orthefailureofmen.Inrealityitisboth.Womenhave madesimplystunningprogressthroughoutthe educational systemoverthelast 30years.Menhavenot.
Becausewetendtofocusontheunder-representedgroupsinhighereducation, wefocushereontheplightofmales.Byanyreasonablemeasure,malesarein veryserioustroubleinthenation'seducationalsystem.Inaworldofescalating demandforcollegeeducatedworkers,thatneedhasbeenmetalmostentirelyby women.
Menarestuckaboutwheretheywereinatime-warpthatleavesthemoblivious tothegrowingeducationalneedsofthelabormarketandtherichrewardsfor thosewhopreparethrougheducationtomeetthoseneeds.
Whilewomen(andmostmen)rejoiceinthedeservededucationalsuccessof women,theirwelfareisalsoimpactedbythepooreducationalperformanceof males.
-Manycollege-educatedwomenwillnotfindcollege-educatedmentomarry. Whenthecollege-educatedwomenarereadytoformtheirfamilies,toomanywill thendiscoverthedearthofmarriageablemenwhenitistoolatetodoanything aboutit.Blackwomenhaveknownthisfordecades.Womeninallotherracialand ethnicgroupsareheadedtowardsthesameplace.
-Womenwithfathers,brothers,husbandsandsonswhoarestrugglingintheir liveswillshareinthosestruggles.Thesatisfactionmanywomenderivefromthe successoftheirowncareersmaybecompromisedbythetroubledlivesofthe maleswhoselivestheyshare.
-Ultimately,withmalesdisengagingfromtheirtraditionalfamily,economicand civicroles,societyfacesachallengeaboutwhattodowiththesedisengaged males.Theonlyansweroursocietyhasofferedsofaristoputarapidlygrowing shareofadultmenbehindbars.
HereweupdateandextendouranalysisofdatacollectedbytheNationalCenter forEducationStatisticsonthegenderdistributionoftheacademicdegrees awardedbyAmericancollegesanduniversities.Thesedatawerefirstcollectedin 2001.Themostrecentdatahavebeencollectedandpartiallypublishedfor2024.
Thedataoncollegegraduatestellstoriesofaccumulatededucationalsuccessor failurethatspansdecades.Collegedegreesareawardedattheendofthe educationpipeline.Theyreflectexperiencesinschool,athomeandin neighborhoodsaccumulatedbetweenpre-schoolandcollegegraduation.The verydifferentnumbersofcollegegraduatesformenandwomenatthetimeof collegegraduationreflecttheverydifferentexperiencesinthelivesand educationsofboysandgirlswhentheyweregrowingup.
Therealstoryinthesedataisnotthegenderdifferencesincollegedegrees studiedhere.Theunderlyingmessageisinthedifferentstoriesofgirlsandboys. Wedonottellthatstoryhere--althoughwehaveofferedoursuggestionsinthe past.Thisstoryisfarbeyondthescopeofthismodestresearchletter.Allwecan dointhesefewpagesislookattheendproductsoftheexperiencesofchildren growingup.Andtheendproductsareverydifferentformalesandfemales.
Weoughttobeaskingwhy.
➤ TheData
In2021–22,U.S.postsecondaryinstitutionsconferred3.0millionundergraduate degrees,including1.0millionassociate’sand2.0millionbachelor’sdegrees. Businessandhealthprofessionswerethetopfieldsforboth,withwomenearning themajorityofdegrees.Totaldegreesconferredhavegenerallyincreasedover thedecade,thoughrecenttrendsshowaslightdeclineinbachelor’searners
DataonearnedcollegedegreesisavailableonlineattheNationalCenterfor EducationStatistics(NCES)websiteat:
https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cta
Inthisanalysiswehaveexpandedourpreviousreportsonthegenderdistribution ofbachelordegreeawardstoincludeallcollegiatedegrees:associate,bachelors, masters,doctorateandprofessional.
➤ Trends
Womenhavesignificantlyoutpacedmeninearningbachelor'sdegrees,holding 57.34%ofalldegreesin2016comparedto42.66%formen.Thisrepresentsa 25.6%gendergap,withover1.09millionwomengraduatingversus816,912men inthatyear,highlightingalong-termshiftwherewomenhavebecomethe majorityofdegreerecipients.
KeyDataPointsandTrends:
-TotalDegrees:Womenreceivedroughly134degreesforevery100earnedby men.
-GenderGap:A25.6%gapexistedin2016,whereAmericanEnterpriseInstituteAEI (source: https://www.aei.org/carpe-diem/table-of-the-day-bachelorsdegrees-for-the-class-of-2016-by-field-and-gender-oh-and-the-overall-25-6college-degree-gap-for-men/) reportedthatmenearned816,912bachelor's degreescomparedto1,098,173bywomen.
-HistoricalContext:Thisreflectsaconsistenttrendoverrecentdecadeswhere womenpassedmenintotaldegreeattainmentandcontinuetoincreasetheir shareofhighereducationcredentials
➤ DegreeLevels
Menearnsignificantlyfewercollegedegreesthanwomen,withdatashowing womenreceivingroughly57%ofbachelor'sdegreesasof2016,leavingthemale shareatapproximately42.66%.Thisindicatesasubstantialgendergapwhere roughly134womengraduateforevery100men.
Clearly,thegendershiftinhighereducationisoccurringatalllevelsof enrollment.Theshifthasoccurredearliestattheassociatedegreelevel.The largestshifthasoccurredatthefirstprofessionaldegreelevel.
Thegendershiftfrommajoritymaletomajorityfemalehasnotyetoccurredat thehighestdegreelevels.Butthetrendsareclearanditisonlyamatteroftime beforemostprofessionalanddoctoratedegreesareawardedtowomenalso.
➤ NumbersofDegrees
Inthe2021/22academicyear,approximately2.02millionbachelor'sdegrees wereawardedintheU.S.Whileoverallundergraduatedegreeearnersrosein 2023-24,bachelor'sdegreeconferralsspecificallyhavedeclinedforthree consecutiveyears.
Business,healthprofessions,andsocialsciencesremainthetopfields,accounting fornearly40%ofalldegrees (source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2025/04/10/undergradsearned-more-certificates-fewer-aa--ba-degrees-last-year/).
KeyDataonBachelor'sDegrees(2021–2024):
-TotalVolume:Over2millionbachelor'sdegreeswereconferredin2021-2022. Despiteariseinoverallundergraduatecredentials,4-yearbachelor’sdegrees haveseena1.3%droprecently.
-TopMajors:Businessisthemostpopular,representingabout19%ofall bachelor'sdegrees,followedbyhealthprofessions(263,800)andsocial sciences/history(151,100).
-Demographics&Trends:Womencontinuetooutpacemeninoverallhigher education,withcollege-educatedwomensignificantlyoutnumberingmen. However,a~4:1male-to-femaleratiopersistsinfieldslikephysics,engineering, andcomputerscience.
-FutureOutlook:Thenumberofbachelor’sdegreerecipientsisprojectedto increasetoroughly2.32millionby2028and2.46millionby2031/32.
-WorkforceImpact:In2023,themedianannualsalaryforabachelor’sdegree holderwas$86,460,withdemandinfieldslikebusinessandSTEMgrowing
➤ Race/Ethnicity
Basedon2024reportsanalyzingrecentdata,includingfromtheAmericanCouncil onEducation,racialandethnicdisparitiesinhighereducationpersistwithvarying bachelor'sdegreeattainmentlevels,oftenshowinglowerattainmentformalesin certaingroupscomparedtofemales.Generally,acrossmostracial/ethnicgroups, alowerproportionofmalesearnbachelor'sdegreescomparedtotheirfemale counterparts (source: https://www.acenet.edu/Research-Insights/Pages/Raceand-Ethnicity-in-Higher-Education.aspx).
KeyDataonBachelor'sDegreeAttainmentbyGroup(TotalPopulationData):
-Asian:Highestattainment,with33.1%ofadultsholdingabachelor'sdegree.
-White:26.1%ofadultsholdingabachelor'sdegree.
-NativeHawaiianorOtherPacificIslander:19.5%ofadultsholdingabachelor's degree.
-BlackorAfricanAmerican:17.3%ofadultsholdingabachelor'sdegree.
-HispanicorLatino:14.5%ofadultsholdingabachelor'sdegree
➤ InstitutionalControl
WomenhaveoutpacedmeninearningU.S.bachelor'sdegreessincethemid1980s,withthegapwideningtowomenearningapproximately57%ofall bachelor'sdegreesannuallyasof2020.
Men'sshareofbachelor'sdegreeshasdeclinedfromamajorityin1970to42%by 2021.
Thissystemicshiftisdrivenbylowermaleenrollmentandhighercompletion ratesforwomenacrossnearlyallracialandethnicgroups (source: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/11/18/us-women-areoutpacing-men-in-college-completion-including-in-every-major-racial-andethnic-group/).
KeyTrendsintheGenderShift(Bachelor'sDegrees):
-Decades-LongShift:In1970,menearned57%ofbachelor'sdegrees;by2021, thatnumberdroppedto42%.Womenhaveoutnumberedmenamong college graduatessince2015.
-EnrollmentandCompletionGap:Thegapiscausedbybothlowermale enrollmentandlowercompletionrates.In2022,66%offemalehighschool graduatesenrolledincollege,comparedto57%ofmales.Womenare11 percentagepointsmorelikelytograduatefroma4-yearinstitutionwithinfour yearsthanmen.
-FieldofStudyDisparities:Whilewomenearnmoredegreesoverall,theyremain underrepresentedinengineering(roughly25%ofgraduates)and overrepresentedinfieldslikepsychology,education,andhealth.
-PersistentTrends:Thegendergapincollegecompletionexistsacrossallmajor racialandethnicgroups,withthelargestdisparitiesobservedamongBlackand Hispanicstudents.
-Causes:Factorscontributingtothegapincludeloweracademicpreparationfor men,alowersenseofbelongingformenoncollegecampuses,andmoremen leavingforjobsorotheropportunities.
DegreeAttainmentbyGender(25-34AgeGroup):
-Women:47%haveabachelor'sdegree.
-Men:37%haveabachelor'sdegree.
Despitetheoverallshifttowardswomen,menstillmakeupthemajorityof graduatesinhigh-salary,male-dominatedfieldslikecomputerscience(77% male).
Conversely,women'sshareofdegreeshasrisensignificantlyinsocialsciencesand business.
➤ StudyFields
Aversionofthegendershifthasoccurredinallmajoracademicfieldsofstudy thathavebeendominatedbymalesinthepast.
Academicfieldshistoricallyandconsistentlydominatedbymalesinclude engineering,computerscience,physics,mathematics,andeconomics.These STEMdisciplinesoftenmaintainover60–70%malerepresentation,despiterising overallfemaleenrollmentinhighereducation.Othermale-dominatedfields includephilosophyand,traditionally,businessadministration (source: https://econofact.org/are-women-reaching-parity-with-men-in-stem).
KeyMale-DominatedFieldsofStudy:
-Engineering:Civil,mechanical,andelectricalengineeringareheavilymaledominated,withengineeringfieldsbeingroughly77.8%male.
-ComputerScience&IT:Consistentlymaintainsahighpercentageofmale students,oftenaround74.2%.
-PhysicalSciences&Mathematics:Physics,mathematics,andgeoscienceshave lowfemaleparticipation.
-Economics:Asocialsciencethatremainsmale-dominated,unlikesociologyor psychology.
-Philosophy:Consistentlyamajority-malefield.
ContextualDetails:
-PersistentTrends:Despiteeffortstodiversify,STEMfieldsremainheavilymaledominated.
-ShiftingFields:Whilebiologywasoncemale-dominated(71%in1971),ithas shiftedtobecomemajority-female.
-Impact:Theimbalanceinthesefieldsislinkedtohigher-earning,maledominatedoccupations,contributingtothegenderpaygap.
Onlyinforeignlanguages/literatureandvisual/performingartsdidtheshareof bachelor'sdegreesawardedtomalesincrease.
Inmajorfieldslikemathematics,socialscience/history,business,andbiology/life sciences,menandwomenearnbachelordegreesinroughlyequalnumbers.
Interestingly,therearenotraditionallyfemalefieldsofstudythathaveattracted alargenumbersofmales.Allofthegendershiftsbyfieldsofstudyaretheresult ofmanymorewomenenteringtraditionalmalefields,notthereverse.
➤ States
Ourfinalunitofanalysisoftheredistributionofcollegedegreesbygenderisthe state.Herewearetalkinggeography.
WomenholdahigherpercentageofcollegedegreesthanmenacrossallU.S. states,withthenationalaverageofwomenaged25-44withdegreesat37.8%.
Womencompriseapproximately58%ofbachelor'sdegreerecipients. Massachusettsleadswith53.7%ofwomenascollegegraduates,whileWest Virginiaislowestat26.5% (source: https://educationdata.org/collegeenrollment-statistics).
Andthebreadthofthephenomenonwehavebeendescribingbecomesmost apparenthere.
-Amajorityoftheassociate'sdegreeswereawardedtofemalesineveryoneof the50statesplustheDistrictofColumbia.
-Amajorityofthebachelor'sdegreeswereawardedtofemalesineverystate plusDC.
-Amajorityofthemaster'sdegreeswereawardedtowomenineverystateand DC.
Onlyatthelevelofthedoctoratedegreeweremoredegreesawardedtomen thanwomen--exceptinfivestates.
Inthisrespectthesestatesmaybeviewedasexperimentallabsforthegenderredistributionrevolution.Theconsequences,ifany,fortheredistributionin highereducationalenrollmentanddegreesawardedshouldbecomeapparentin thesestatesbeforeotherlaggingstatesarefacedwiththeissuesthatmayarise.
➤ Discussion
Thisanalysisofdataonthegenderdistributionofbachelor'sdegreesawardedin theUnitedStateshassoughttomaketwomainpoints.
First,theredistributionofbachelor'sdegreesfrommentowomenhasbeen underwayforaverylongtime,atleast130years.Theperiodbetween1940and 1970appearstohavebeenananomalyinthistrendcausedbyWorldWarII.
About1970,thetrendfromthefirstfourdecadesofthetwentiethcenturymerely resumed-itwasnotanewphenomenon.
Thistrendupto1980wasanimportantcorrectionthatbroughtwomenintoa parityrelationshipwithmen.Wheremenandwomenareaboutequally distributedinthepopulation,thedistributionofbachelor'sdegreesthat representsthegenderdistributioninthecollege-agepopulationwasreachedin 1980.
Since1980theredistributionofbachelor'sdegreesacrossthegendershas continued,creatinganimbalanceintheoppositedirection.Nolongermaythe trendofthelasttwodecadesbecalledacorrection.Womenareearning-andwe stressearninganddeserving-thegainsinbachelor'sdegreeattainmentachieved since1980.
Second,theredistributionofbachelor'sdegreesfrommalestofemaleshasbeen verybroadlybased.Thisredistributionhasoccurredinall50states,inall racial/ethnicgroupsofthepopulation,andinbothpublicandprivatehigher educationalinstitutions.Inallfieldstraditionallydominatedbymen,womenhave madesubstantialgainsoverthelast30years.Wethinkitissafetosaythatthere arenoremainingmalereservesinbachelordegreeawards,although engineering
andcomputerscienceseemtobestrugglingtoholdontotheirhistoricmale dominance.
➤ Why?
Thedepthandbreadthofthegendershiftinbachelor'sdegreeawardsmust certainlyleadustoask:Why?Whatishappening?Wethinkweseesomeofthe answersmoreclearlythanwedoothers.
Labormarketshifts. First,theUnitedStateshasbeenmovingswiftlyintothe humancapitaleconomyforthelastthreedecades.Theproportionofjobsin goods-producingindustries--whicharehistoricallydominatedbymenbyathreeto-onemargin-hasbeenshrinkingsinceWorldWarII.Thisshrinkagedocuments thedemiseofthehighwage-lowskilllabormarket.
Whathasdisplacedgoods-producingindustrialemploymentisprivateserviceproducingindustries.Thesejobshavegrownfromlessthan40percentofU.S. employmentduringWorldWarIIto64.6percentofjobsin2000.Thesearejobs nowdominatedbywomen.
Whatthisindustrialshiftmeansisthatthosewithpostsecondaryeducationor training(andmorethebetter)aregettingthebetterpayingjobsavailableinthe economy.Theincomedifferentialbetweencollegeeducatedmenandhighschool educatedmenismuchgreaterthanitisforwomen.Onaverage,acollegeeducatedmalecanexpectapositive,significantreturnoninvestment(ROI)forhis education.Studiesindicatethatabachelor'sdegreetypicallyyieldsanannualrate ofreturnaround9–10%formen.Foreverydollarspentontuition,thelifetime earningsgain,calculatedasanetpresentvalue,canreachorexceed$260,000for men (source: https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/research-summaries/educationearnings.html).
Menwithbachelor'sdegreesearnroughly$655,000to$900,000moreinmedian lifetimeearningscomparedtohighschoolgraduates.Themedianannualrateof returnforabachelor’sdegreeformenisapproximately9.06%.Thereturnvaries basedonmajor(e.g.,engineering/computerscienceoffersthehighestROI)and institutiontype.Whilelong-termgainsarehigh,theinitial,averageROIcanbe
negativeforthefirstdecade.A10%–12%returnishigherthanthehistorical averageforinvestmentsinstocks(~7%)orbonds(~3%).Thesefiguresoften assumethecostofa4-yeardegree(tuition,fees,andsometimeslivingexpenses) andcompareitagainstthehigher,steadyincomeofabachelor'sdegreeholder.
Menjustdon'tseemtobegettingit.Andwomendoseemtobegettingit.
Urbanization. ThepopulationoftheUnitedStateshasbeenconcentratingin urbanplaceseversincethefirstCensusin1790.Urbanizationobviouslybringsus closertogether,where socialnetworking andcommunicationsskillsareatan advantage.Ouractivitiesalsochangeasweurbanize,wenolongerputacropin thegroundinthespringandlaterharvestthecropinthefall.
Wefinditdifficulttobelievethatmenandwomenarelivingonthesameplanet. Womenareaggressivelyrespondingtothehugeeconomicincentivesofcollege education,andmenarenot.Weaskwhy.
Aswestatedatthebeginningofthisanalysis,lookingonlyatthegender distributionofbachelor'sdegreesgivesusonlyaglimpseoftheiceberg. Bachelor'sdegreesareawardedaftermorethantwodecadesofchildhood experiencesinschool,athomeandinneighborhoods.Therearetwentysome yearsintowhichwemustprobeforanswersforthequestionWhy?
Forthosewillingtosearchbeyondthemeaninglesspalliativesofaffirmative actionformalesincollegeadmissionandbuildingupcampussportsprogramsto attractmoremales,thesolutionsshouldbesoughtattheglobalscaleofa changingworld.
Weareurbanizing,andwehaveshiftedfromagood-producingeconomytoa service-producingeconomy.Theshiftfromagoods-producingtoaserviceproducingeconomy,particularlyintheU.S.,marksastructuraltransitiondriven byautomation,globalization,andincreasedproductivity,whereserviceslike finance,healthcare,andtechnologynowdominateeconomicoutput. Manufacturingjobsdeclinedfrom1/3ofemploymentin1945to1in12today, movinglaborfromfactoriestoservice-oriented,oftenwhite-collar,roles.
Thesetwochangesaloneofferrelativeadvantagestowomenthatputmenata disadvantageunparalleledinhistory.Menarenolongerneededtofightoffthe saber-toothedtigeratthemouthofthecave.Menarenolongerneededtoplant acropinthespringandharvestitinthefall.Menarenolongerneededtopour moltensteelandoperateheavymanufacturingequipment.Andmaybewewill notneedmentofightwarsanymore.
Whatwewillneedarewelleducatedandtrainedworkers,withsuperior teamworkandcommunicationsskills,abletoreadandcarryoutcomplex instructions.Weneedmorepeoplewhosemindsdealwithinformationina concurrent,multi-taskingprocess.Thesearemindsofwomen,notmen.
Theultimatequestionis:Whatisthefutureofthemalegender?Men'spastroles, basedontheirstrengthandaggressiveness,arenolongerneededinthehuman capitaleconomy.Menarenotadapting-ifindeedtheycan.Itisnotpossibleto sendthemenbacktoMarsandreserveEarthfortheVenusians.
ItisprobablynocoincidencethattheprisonpopulationoftheUnitedStates beganitsexplosivegrowthabout1975.
Wetakethisasoneindicationofourcountry'sinabilitytoeffectivelyaddressthe preparationofyoungmenforresponsible,productive,contributingsocialroles.
Thesocialpathologiesofthisfailurespreadtothewomenandchildrenwhoshare thefailedlivesofthesemen.
Highereducation hastheresourcestostudythecausesoftheproblem,from whicheffectiveremediesshouldlogicallyfollow.Unlessanduntilwedothis,the precedingdatawillcontinuetoworsenformen,andultimatelyforwomenas well.
Ourwelfareisnotindividual,itiscommon,andsinceweareallonthisplanet mixedtogether,aswewereintendedtobe,theeffortstostudyandremedymust involveusall.
MeganWilson isateacher,lifestrategist,successfulentrepreneur,inspirational keynotespeakerandfounderof https://Ebookschoice.com.Meganchampionsa radicalrethinkofourschoolsystems;shecallsoneducatorstoteachboth intuitionandlogictocultivatecreativityandcreateboldthinkers.
Source: https://ebookschoice.com/the-increasing-gender-disparity-in-collegedegree-attainment/