More than a moose hunter; Sarah’s a WMD…
Sarah Palin and her family represent a new family formation that we’ll be seeing more of in the future, a family where the mother has a college degree that the husband lacks. Also in this new family formation, the daughters are more likely to go to college than the sons. This last point, of course, has yet to play out, although it should be noted that son Track departed high school directly for the military.
In a decade, the average graduating class at a four-year college will be 60% female. But some states, and Alaska is one of them, are ahead of this curve.
Here’s the beginning of a paper University of Alaska professor Judith Kleinfeld (founder of The Boys Project) wrote on this:
The University of Alaska has the dubious distinction of ranking second in the nation in the gap between women and men in baccalaureate degrees.
• In 2003, Alaska’s population was 52% male, but only 39% of University of Alaska students were male.
• Among Alaska Natives, 3 females received a bachelor’s degree for every 1 male—the highest gender gap in the nation.
The fact that Sarah Palin attended five colleges in six years to earn that degree is not relevant. She earned it, and her husband, Todd, chose the oil fields and family fishing business. Two reasons Alaska tops the charts, of course, are the native population and the possibility of a good blue-collar job, an option that awaits few young men in Ohio, Pennsylvania and elsewhere who are avoiding college at nearly the same rate as young male Alaskans.
Don’t get me wrong here — If I had to choose one of the nominees/spouses to have a beer with, Todd’s the one. This is anything but a posting of disrespect for Todd; this is a posting about where real-world America is headed, with Alaskans (and Minnesotans) leading the way.
Alaskan women who earn college degrees experience a small taste of what African American women have faced for years: There’s an obvious shortage of college-educated mates. Do you settle for a lesser-educated husband? All that seems to have worked out well for Sarah, who married her high school sweetheart. Other women, however, either lack a high school sweetheart who waited around for them or balk at the educational mismatch.
To the Sarah’s of the world, women I’ll call “Women (who) Marry Down” (WMD), I say ‘Nicely done.’ I hope your marriages set an example for others. If these new arrangements don’t wortk out, however, we’re looking at a lot of turkey baster babies in our future.
See this for the entire Kleinfeld paper:
The Gender Gap at the University of Alaska
Executive Summary
The University of Alaska has the dubious distinction of ranking second in the nation in the gap between women and men in baccalaureate degrees.
• In 2003, Alaska’s population was 52% male, but only 39% of University of Alaska students were male.
• Among Alaska Natives, 3 females received a bachelor’s degree for every 1 male—the highest gender gap in the nation.
• Surprisingly, the gender gap is far more extreme at the certificate and associate program levels than the baccalaureate level.
• Females in their thirties or older are more apt than males to return to college.
• Campuses where only about a third of the total students are men include Chuckchi (27% male); Kuskokwim (29% male); Kodiak (30% male); Northwest (33% male), the UAA Military Program (34% male); and the University of Alaska Southeast (36% male).
• Rural campuses are less apt to offer the types of programs that typically attract male students.
Our analyses suggest these possibilities for increasing male enrollment:
1. “The Manly Work Phenomenon”—university programs that educate people for jobs where they protect their communities attract men.
2. Develop programs targeted to older male students. Physical injuries, waning energy, and disappointments in the labor market may make college more attractive to men when they reach the maturity of their thirties.
3. Offer more programs that appeal to men at rural campuses.
“More and more of our men are being left behind.”
-Carrie Brown, Senior Vice President, First Alaskans Institute
THE PROBLEM
Alaska has the dubious distinction of ranking second in the nation in the growing gap between males and females in college graduation. While women are surging into college in ever increasing numbers, men are stagnating. Men are falling behind women in college enrollment not only in the United States but in virtually every country in the industrialized world.
The growing gender gap in college attendance and graduation has serious consequences, not only for the economic well-being of men and their families but also for the well-being society as a whole. Employers increasingly seek people with highly developed verbal and symbolic skills and the ability to access and manage information. Even during periods where the American economy is robust, young men without a college education are suffering declines in employment rates and falling farther and farther behind in income. Less educated young men are more apt to be in the pipeline of the criminal justice system and they are less likely to vote and participate in civic affairs. Marriage tends to stabilize young men and increases their labor force participation, their health and happiness, and even their life expectancy. But less educated young men are less attractive marriage partners to the growing numbers of educated young women. The results are unfortunate for the men, for the women, and for society as a whole.
In rural Alaska and in other regions of the Arctic, this problem is particularly extreme and is know in the research literature as “female flight.” Young women are more likely to leave rural communities for higher education, employment, and attractive marriage partners. These young women develop a sense of satisfying life purpose. Young men are “left behind,” developing “bachelor societies,” which are breeding grounds for social problems. Many of these young men feel they have no place, no satisfying life purpose, even in their own communities. They disengage with suicide the ultimate form of disengagement. The issue of “what is happening to our young men” has become an increasing concern for Alaska Native women and for Native organizations.
The purposes of this research are to:
1. Analyze the size of the gender gap in the University of Alaska system and identify the campuses and programs that are particularly imbalanced and inequitable in terms of gender
2. Identify the programs which are more attractive to males and especially Alaska Native males
3. Find clues for increasing male enrollment in the University of Alaska system
The University of Alaska, to its great credit, is concerned with addressing Alaska’s social and economic needs. Increasing male college enrollment, we suggest, is in itself a “social and economic need” which should be taken into account in university enrollment planning.
METHODS
The information in this report is based on special data analyses conducted by the University of Alaska Statewide Office of Budget and Institutional Research during the Fall of 2004. While we have analyzed different data sets, we present in this report the most recent information available, primarily from fiscal year 2003. We thank Ian Olsen and Xiang Fang for providing this statistical information, which required numerous and time-consuming special analyses of UA system statistics.
We include in this report appendices organized to present the findings in ways that highlight results from particular campus systems in order to encourage discussions of male enrollment in each of these campus systems.
We have included certain additional analyses, for example, Alaska Native and other ethnic group’s graduation rates from 1998 to 2004 to assist policymakers and proposal writers in documenting the scope of the problem and developing programs and funding sources to address it.
FINDINGS
Male Enrollment at Each Campus in at the University of Alaska
• Men constituted 52% of Alaska’s population age 18+ in 2003, but a mere 39% of the UA system’s student body. The University of Alaska enrolled about 157 female students for every 100 male students. This is a dramatic disparity.
• The main campuses with the widest gender gaps are the University of Alaska Southeast (36% male) and the University of Alaska Anchorage (38% male). Only the University of Alaska Fairbanks main campus, while still showing a serious gender gap, is at about the national average (44% male enrollment).
• The extension campuses with the widest gender gaps are Chukchi campus (27% male), Kuskokwim campus (29% male), Kodiak campus (30% male), Northwest campus (33% male), and, unexpectedly, the UAA Military Program. Each of these are about two-thirds or more female in their enrollment.
• The only campus in the UA system which is gender balanced is Prince William Sound Community College. We will discuss later the reasons for this exception.
Table 1: Campus Enrollment by Gender, FY 2003
Percent Male Male Enrollment (2003) Total
Enrollment
(2003)
UAS-Main Campus 36% 859 2367
UAA-Main Campus 38% 5680 14956
UAF-Main Campus 44% 2945 6670
UAF-Chukchi Campus 27% 47 172
UAF-Kuskokwim Campus 29% 162 552
UAA-Kodiak Campus 30% 206 684
UAF-Northwest Campus 33% 120 361
UAA-Military Program 34% 20 59
UAF-Interior-Aleutians 35% 200 574
UAA-Kenai Peninsula Campus 36% 537 1480
UAF-Bristol Bay Campus 36% 211 580
UAA-Mat-Su Campus 37% 516 1385
UAS-Sitka Campus 37% 317 866
UAF-Tanana Valley Campus 40% 473 1188
UAS-Ketchikan Campus 41% 173 425
Prince William Sound Community College 51% 744 1451
University of Alaska System 39% 13460 34657
Male Enrollment by Degree Program
• The gender gap in enrollment at the University of Alaska is most extreme at the lowest degree levels: certificate (35% male) and associate programs (36% male). With the exception of doctoral programs, the gender imbalance remains severe at each program level in the University of Alaska system.
Table 2: Male Enrollment by Degree Program, FY 2003
Percent Male Male Enrollment (2003) Total
Enrollment
(2003)
Certificate 35% 169 485
Associate 36% 1701 4750
Bachelor’s 40% 4202 10542
Master’s 39% 636 1642
Doctorate 59% 123 210
Male Enrollment by Age
* The gender gap in the University of Alaska system is widest among older students, the “nontraditional” students who are returning to school.
The University of Alaska has always been attractive to “nontraditional” students, older students who are returning to school to make a new start. “The nontraditional student is traditional at the University of Alaska,” as a common saying goes. One of the special virtues of the University of Alaska is the way the system provides a second chance for older students and the opportunity to begin again. The University of Alaska, however, is providing this valuable second chance primarily to women. Lower male enrollment among older students is occurring in every ethnic group. Among Alaska Natives, almost 75% of students over 30 are women.
Table 3: Alaska Native Enrollment by Age, FY 2003
Age Group Percent Male Percent Female Total Enrollment
(2003)
30 and Under 35% 65% 2586
31 - 40 27% 73% 880
41+ 26% 74% 1240
Asian Enrollment by Age, FY 2003
Age Group Percent Male Percent Female Total Enrollment
(2003)
30 and Under 41% 59% 881
31 - 40 26% 74% 164
41+ 27% 73% 170
Hispanic Enrollment by Age, FY 2003
Age Group Percent Male Percent Female Total Enrollment
(2003)
30 and Under 39% 61% 627
31 - 40 37% 63% 173
41+ 31% 69% 192
African-American Enrollment by Age, FY 2003
Age Group Percent Male Percent Female Total Enrollment
(2003)
30 and Under 42% 58% 579
31 - 40 36% 64% 202
41+ 40% 60% 200
White Enrollment by Age, FY 2003
Age Group Percent Male Percent Female Total Enrollment
(2003)
30 and Under 44% 56% 12797
31 - 40 38% 62% 3769
41+ 33% 67% 6506
Male Graduates by Degree Program
• Once enrolled, males are somewhat less likely than females to graduate in the University of Alaska system. At the certificate level, while 35% of the enrollment is male, only 28% of certificate program graduates are male. At the associate program level, while 36% of enrollment is male, 35% of associate program graduates are male. At the bachelor’s level, while 40% of the enrollment is male, only 36% of graduates are male. While this is not the case for master’s program in 2003, this year was unusual.
Table 3: Male Graduation Rates By Degree Level, FY 2003
Percent Male Male Graduates (2003) Total
Graduates
(2003)
Certificate 28% 45 159
Associate 35% 295 843
Bachelor’s 36% 445 1223
Master’s 46% 197 428
Doctorate 53% 19 36
Enrollment and Graduation of Alaska Native Males
• The gender gap is most pronounced among Alaska Native males, especially rural males. Of Alaska Native students enrolled in the University of Alaska during 2003, just 31% are male. Among rural Alaska Native students, (regions not accessible by the road/ferry system), the gender gap widens. Only 27% of Alaska Native students from rural Alaska are male while 73% are female.
• The gender gap in baccalaureate degrees for Alaska Natives in the University of Alaska system is more than 3 to 1, far more extreme than for any other minority group in the United States on a national level. (The emerging gender gap in 2005 is even more extreme and bears watching). To clarify, here we are comparing the size of the gender gap among Alaska Natives in the University of Alaska system with the size of the gender gap among African-Americans and other ethnic groups using national statistics.
In the United States as a whole, the minority group with the widest gender gap is African-Americans. Among African-Americans nationally, African-American women were awarded 192 bachelor degrees for every 100 bachelor’s degrees awarded to African-American men. Among Alaska Natives in the University of Alaska system, Alaska Native women were awarded 342 bachelor degrees in 2003 for over 100 degrees award to Native men. Essentially, the national gender gap among African-Americans in baccalaureate degrees is almost 2 to 1 while among Alaska Natives in the University of Alaska system the gender gap is far more extreme, substantially more than 3 to 1.
University of Alaska Programs Attractive to Males
• Programs emphasizing protective services, engineering, and technology enroll the highest proportions of males. The following programs typically attract a disproportionately male enrollment, from 75% to 100% male. While those fields with unusually high ratios of males do not necessarily have the highest total enrollment of men, from the standpoint of increasing male enrollment, it is useful to identify these particular programs. Some University of Alaska men, our exploratory research suggests, are reluctant to compete against women, whom they see as “smarter” than they are. These men may be more attracted to programs where men are in the majority and the educational culture is more attuned to male learning styles. “Single sex” schools and classes are becoming increasingly discussed as a legitimate policy option in the national dialogue about how to increase achievement among both males and females.
1. Certificate programs with a primarily male enrollment include automotive technology, drafting, electronics, industrial and mechanical technology, aviation and ground vehicle maintenance, and law enforcement.
2. Associate programs with a primarily male enrollment include technology programs (aviation, diesel, petroleum, heating and air conditioning, maintenance, construction, and automotive technologies) and protective service programs (law enforcement, fire and emergency services).
3. Bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs with a primarily male enrollment include engineering, computer science, and physics. Interestingly enough, the bachelor’s degree in philosophy was also a male bastion, with anywhere from 75-88% of degrees awarded to men from 2000-2003.
*The highest total number of males are enrolled in computer science, civil engineering, aviation technology, history, justice, and process technology.
In terms of total numbers, the Bachelor’s program in Computer Science attracted far and away the most men in 2003, with 275 of the 329 students (84%) being men. Other popular baccalaureate degree programs among men (enrolling 100 men or more in 2003) include Civil Engineering, Aviation Technology, History, and Justice. (We note, however, that Justice, while attracting large numbers of men, actually attracts even more women.)
Table 4: Popular Baccalaureate Programs Among Males, FY 2003
Baccalaureate Programs With Highest Male Enrollment Percent Male Male Students (2003) Total
Students
(2003)
Computer Science 84% 275 329
Civil Engineering 68% 160 236
Aviation Technology 74% 149 201
History 51% 133 262
Justice 43% 119 278
For Associate degrees, the top five programs in terms of total male enrollment are Process Technology, Telecommunications/ Electronics/Computer Technology, Small Business Administration, Emergency Services, and Professional Piloting.
Table 5: Popular Associate Degree Programs Among Males, FY 2003
Associate Degree Programs With Highest Male Enrollment Percent Male Male Students (2003) Total
Students
(2003)
Process Technology 84% 122 145
Telecommunications Electronics/Computer Tech 81% 59 73
Small Business Administration 44% 52 118
Emergency Services 80% 41 51
Professional Piloting 80% 37 46
For certificate programs, the top five programs in terms of total male enrollment are Rural Human Services, Computer and Networking Technology, Aviation Maintenance Technology, Refrigeration and Heating Technology, and Architectural Drafting. Notice that certificate programs generally have very low male enrollments.
Table 6: Popular Certificate Programs Among Males, FY 2003
Certificate Programs With Highest Male Enrollment Percent Male Male Students (2003) Total
Students
(2003)
Rural Human Services 25% 17 69
Computer/Networking Tech 61% 14 23
Aviation Maintenance Tech 100% 13 13
Refrigeration/Heating Tech 100% 9 9
Architectural Drafting 75% 9 12
*Alaska Native males are most attracted to computer science, process technology, civil engineering, and aviation technology—programs not offered at rural campuses.
In 2003, the most popular programs among those Alaska Native men who had declared a program of study were Computer Science (23 students), Process Technology (18 students), Civil Engineering (18 students), Aviation Technology (15 students), Telecommunications, Electronics, and Computer Technology (10 students), and Art (10 students). Although some of these programs offer skills in high demand in rural Alaska, none of these programs are offered at rural campuses.
Clues to Increasing Male Enrollment
We are well aware that many talented administrators and faculty have already devoted substantial attention to the issue of increasing male enrollment, especially the enrollment of Alaska Native males. This is far from a new issue. We suggest below possibilities emerging from these analyses that may merit further attention and discussion.
Where many strategies have been tried in the past, often with great dedication and energy but with limited success, people understandably become discouraged. On the other hand, times change, the cultural and political context change, leadership and economic opportunities change, and the climate of ideas and emotions change. The surge of young women and especially young Native women into higher education, for example, is a recent phenomenon, attributable to a number of social changes, including the Women’s Movement, the increased divorce rate, and the decline of the male breadwinner role. Young women are surging into college because they now expect and desire to support themselves and their children and do not want to have to depend on a husband. The dramatic effects of these cultural changes in increasing the college enrollment of women were not anticipated. Similar cultural changes could influence college enrollment among Native men. In other words, just because a strategy has not worked in the past does not guarantee that it will not work in the future, in a changed cultural, economic, and political context.
* The “Manly Work Phenomenon:” Engaging young men, especially rural young men who now form “bachelor societies” protective and medical work is a possibility.
Naming and framing a program in such a way as to emphasize its community protective role may draw men into college programs. Men enrolled in the UA system are drawn to programs that prepare them to protect their communities. Examples include Law Enforcement, Administration of Justice, Emergency Services, Fire Science, and Fire Service Administration. These programs have disproportionately high male enrollment, typically between 75% and 85%.
Compare, for example, the sex difference in the associate degree in Community Health with the associate degree in Emergency Services. In 2003, almost 88% of the students enrolled in the A.A.S. degree program in Community Health were women. In 2003 almost 80% of the students enrolled in the A.A.S. degree program for Emergency Services were men. What is interesting is that the curricula of the two programs have a number of similarities - providing training in basic medical care and first-line response to a variety of health issues. Though similar in nature to the type of work done by an Emergency Medical Technician, a Community Health Worker is considered by many men, particularly in rural areas, to be “women’s work.” Programs that respond to the desire of many young men to protect and aid their communities in “manly” roles may be far more successful in attracting male students. The increasing aging of Alaska’s population will create an even greater demand for workers with medical training and physical strength.
* Surprisingly, rural campuses are less apt to offer the types of programs men favor.
Most programs offered by rural campuses, such as Early Childhood Education, Community Health, Accounting, and Business and Office Management appeal more to traditionally female roles and are heavily dominated by women (typically, 80% or more of students enrolled). In fact, only two programs offered at any of the rural campuses — Microcomputer Support (offered at the Northwest and Chukchi campuses) and Information Technology (offered at Bristol Bay) –had a male majority (59% for Microcomputer Support and 70% for IT in 2003).
While rural campuses understandably emphasize programs that respond to social needs in their regions, increasing male enrollment is in and of itself an important social need in rural Alaska. Many rural communities recognize the difficulty of engaging their young men in productive activities, whether employment or subsistence. All of us want to feel a sense of purpose and the sense that we are valued and needed.
*Appeal to older male students in recruitment and program planning.
While many women enter postsecondary education when they reach their thirties or later, fewer men do. For men as well as women, the maturity of the thirties, combined with disappointing experience in the labor market, may well make going back to school attractive. Some men have developed back problems or other physical difficulties from doing heavy physical work in their twenties and would like a transition to less arduous work. Some no longer want to spend long periods of time away from home and no longer desire high-paying but hazardous occupations. Developing postsecondary programs combining a source of steady income with additional education might especially appeal to men seeking a fresh start.
One possibility would be to design radio advertisements aimed at older men. Current University of Alaska recruitment spots on the radio feature the voice of a nontraditional woman returning to school but not the voice of a nontraditional male student. Such advertisements also emphasize men and women going back to school to pursue nontraditional occupations. In view of the “manly work phenomenon, these advertisements are unlikely to attract men.
* Prince William Sound Community College may offer a model of local education and employment partnerships for increasing enrollment of male students.
In striking contrast to other rural and extension campuses, 50% of the Associate degree programs and 80% of the certificate programs offered by Prince William Sound Community College are in programs favored by men. As a result, PWSCC is the only branch of the UA system with a gender balance characteristic of the state of Alaska. Not surprisingly, considering its location in Valdez, several of the programs offered at PWSCC are related to the petroleum industry (such as oil spill response and safety management). Perhaps similar technical and vocational programs closely suited to the needs of rural communities and regions would be effective in raising male enrollment at rural campuses.
CONCLUSION
Program planning at the University of Alaska has been understandably and laudably oriented to addressing state and community needs, particularly in rural Alaska. But the problem that “men are being left behind” should in and of itself be viewed as a state and community. The high unemployment rate of men in rural Alaska and the creation of “bachelor societies” which are sources of social disorder indicate the need to reach out to men and provide the education that enables them not only to obtain income but also to achieve a sense of purpose. The Women’s Movement deserves credit for its spectacular success in encouraging young women to enter and graduate from college. Policymakers now need to turn to the difficulties young men are facing in a world that, for them too, in profound and fundamental ways, has changed.
