Reference no: EM132475793

"The Twenty-First-Century Campus: Where are the Men?

Meg: What's with this campus having so few men?

Tricia: Does it matter? I'd rather focus on my work.

Mark: I think it's like, really cool for us guys!

A century ago, the campuses of colleges and universities across the United States migh as well have hung out a sign that read "Men Only." Almost all of the students and faculty were male. There were a small number of women's colleges, but many more schools - including some of the most prestigious U.S. universities, including Yale, Harvard, and Princeton - barred women outright.

Since then, women have won greater social equality, By 1980, the number of women enrolled at U.S. colleges finally matched the number of men.

In a surprising trend, however, the share of women on campus has continued to increase. As a result, in 2009, men accounted for only 43% of all U.S. undergraduates. Meg DeLong noticed the gender imbalance right away when she moved into her dorm at the University of Georgia at Athens; she soon learned that just 39 percent of her first-year classmates were men. In some classes, there were few men, and women usually dominated discussions. Out of class, DeLong and many other women soon complained that having so few men on campus hurt their social life. Not surprisingly, most of the men otherwise (Fonda, 2000).

What accounts for the shifting gender balance on U.S. campuses? One theory is that young men are drawn away from college by the lure of jobs, especially in high technology. This pattern is sometimes termed the "Bill Gates syndrome," after the Microsoft found, who dropped out of college and soon became the world's richest person. In addition, analysts point to an anti-intellectual male culture. Young women are drawn to learning and seek to do well in school, but you men attach less importance to studying. Rightly or wrongly, more men seem to think they can get a good job without investing years of their lives and a considerable amount of money in pursuit of a college degree.

Many college officials are concerned about a lack of men on campus. In an effort to attract more balanced enrollments, some colleges are adopting what amounts to affirmative action programs for males. But courts in several states have already ruled such policies illegal. Many colleges are therefore turning to more active recruitment; admissions officers are paying special attention to male applicants and stressing a college's strength in mathematics and science - areas traditional y popular with men. In the same way that colleges across the country are striving to increase their share of minority students, the hope is that they can also succeed in attracting a larger share of men.

What Do You Think?

1. What do you think needs to be done to change this imbalance if any?