Why Men Have Fallen Behind Women In College Attainment: Includes Boy Friendly Solutions

A forthcoming book is worth following entitled, The Rise of Women: The Growing Gender Gap in Education and What It Means for American Schools by Thomas DiPrete  and Claudia Buchmann. Based on more than a decade of research, the book marks the first comprehensive look at why the gender gap in American education continues to expand dramatically — and why men have fallen behind.  I have not read the book, but more research on this topic has been needed for a long time.

T he book’s new findings focus upon  why women are pulling ahead, how the gender gap harms male earning power and U.S. competitiveness, and what solutions will help improve outcomes for men and women alike. The Rise of Women authors will cover provocative ideas, including why “boy-friendly” solutions such as more recess and single-sex classrooms don’t work, and only serve to reinforce gender stereotypes. (See their recent New York Times letter to the editor.)

They will also explore:

  • How profound social shifts and job opportunities have propelled women to overtake men in college enrollment and attaining Masters and PhDs
  • How lower educational outcomes hurt men’s earning power and lower educational performance of the U.S. as a whole
  • How strong male role models can help counter the so-called “boy problem” (school-age boys falling prey to peer pressure to shun studies)
  • Why, in spite of Hanna Rosin’s and others’ assertions that we’ve reached the “End of Men,” women continue to lag behind men in education in STEM fields— and in earnings overall in the job market—and what can be done to close the gap


Authors are :

Thomas DiPrete, author of The Rise of Women and professor of sociology at Columbia University
Claudia Buchmann, author of The Rise of Women and professor of sociology at Ohio State University

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