Gender Warriors Fight the Wrong Battle

Trends in gender balance in education have changed over the past ten years. Research showed that girls were not equally treated in grades k-12, and were the gender minority on college campuses. Now the trend is for more women than men to be enrolled in college, and a higher percentage women than men receive an undergraduate degree. More women are going to college, and the amount of men enrolling in college has remained steady.

The article suggests that factors such as income and race must also be considered. low income men have less financial incentive to seek higher education, because men with a high school education generally can earn more than women who do not attend college. Negative attitudes about higher education are also more pervasive among minority men than women. Low income men of any race are less likely to go to college than their female counterparts, and are less likely to stay in school once they get there.

Maintaining higher education opportunities and environment that are not gender biased incites debate about curriculum, college admissions procedures, the value of a college degree, and issues of income and race. This article cites various experts and provides relevant opinions on the subject.

Reflection: When we focus on making changes to promote equality of access and functionality in education, should we concentrate on gender, or income as a more important factor?

Answer: We can not isolate only one variable that should be addressed when debating the effectiveness of education. Nor can we accurately stereotype in a manner that is useful. For example, all boys do not need (or want) one thing, and all girls are not universally served by some other thing. We need to be attentive to issues affecting lower income families, children in rural areas, under-represented groups (also called minorities), as well as being attentive to the learning needs of both boys and girls. Furthermore, equality should not be thought of as a battle, but rather as an idea where both sides win when the goal is achieved.

Submitted by: Melissa Laitsch, American University
Source: Gender Warriors Fight the Wrong Battle, Laura Sessions Stepp. The Washington Post, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2002.