Gender gap reveals men falling behind in education race

Sept 13, 2006

Statistics illustrate growing disparity between performance of men, women in rigorous academic environment

In the late 1960s, men far outnumbered women in high school, college and graduate school. By the mid-1970s the gender achievement gap disappeared, with the number of women continuing on to higher education equal to that of men.

Thirty years later, a new achievement gap has emerged: women now make up 57 percent of college students, while men 18 to 24 years old outnumber women in the overall American population.
This data brings up an important question: has a new form of discrimination emerged in America’s schools, favoring the success of girls over boys? Why is it that girls now outnumber and outshine boys in activities ranging from academics to student council to debate teams? According to United States Secretary of Education Margaret Spelling, the widening gender achievement gap has “profound implications for the economy, society, families and democracy.”

In 1972, Title IX was passed in an attempt to provide equal opportunities for females in the classroom and in athletics. The Federal Law stated that “no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” It was soon after this law passed that the gender achievement gap began to turn.

In 1990, when students participating in a study were asked questions such as: “Who does your teacher pay more attention to?”, “Who do teachers think are smarter?” and “Who do teachers compliment more often?” an overwhelming majority of both boys and girls answered “girls.”
According to a study conducted by the University of Michigan, by 2001, the number of boys who said they disliked school had risen 71 percent since 1980.

The growing lack of confidence among male students pervades all corners of education. Elementary school boys are twice as likely as girls to be placed in special education and three times as likely to be diagnosed with learning disabilities. Eighty percent of high school dropouts nationwide are boys and four out of five disciplinary problems involve boys. Boys receive the majority of ‘D’s and ‘F’s in school — close to 70 percent — and according to the U.S. Department of Education, boys are, on average, a year and a half behind girls in reading skills.

At Palo Alto High School, there are more female enrollments in Advanced Placement (AP) courses than there are male enrollments. Though boys still slightly outnumber girls in advanced science and math courses, the difference is shrinking, while female to male ratios in advanced social studies, English and foreign language courses is growing.

Girls make up 62 percent of enrollments in English, Social Studies, and Foreign Language AP courses. Additionally, 77 percent of AP English students, 79 percent of AP French students, 65 percent of AP United States History students, 65 percent of Spanish students and 78 percent of AP Art Studio and AP Art History enrollments are made up of females.

Boys clearly outnumber girls in AP Physics and AP Computer Science AB, yet girls make up 45 percent of AP math enrollments, indicating they are not far behind in a subject that has traditionally been male-dominated. This year, more girls than boys are enrolled in AP Calculus AB and AP Environmental Science.

Some psychologists and educators attribute the growing achievement gap to misguided feminism that has led boys astray. They wonder if too little attention has been given to boys, or if schools are more geared toward the success of girls.

When children start kindergarten at the age of five, boys are far behind girls concerning fluency, sight-reading, fine-motor skills and impulse control. These developmental disparities mean girls are more likely to thrive in their first few years of primary education.
Others attribute the growing achievement gap to the increasing number of boys who grow up without a positive male role model.

According to Michael Thompson, a psychologist who specializes in families and children, and co-author of Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys, 40 percent of boys today grow up without their biological fathers. Thompson interviewed boys at an after school boys’ club. When asked who their male role models were, some boys named athletics coaches and others said themselves. Very few said their fathers. When Thompson asked why boys make fun of each others’ mothers and make “your mama” jokes, one boy replied, “Because we know everybody has a mom; we don’t know if everybody has a dad.”

Whatever the cause may be, the achievement gap between boys and girls is indisputably growing. According to Business Week reports, if trends continue, by 2020 women will be earning two-thirds of college and postgraduate degrees. While the growing number of women in post-secondary education is encouraging for those who have constantly fought for equal opportunity, the shrinking number of men continuing on to post-secondary schools is cause for concern.