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News, Views and Careers for All of Higher Education

Sept. 13, 2007

The Postsecondary Picture for Minority Students (and Men)

The newest report from the National Center for Education Statistics is, as its title (”Status and Trends in the Education of Racial and Ethnic Minorities“) suggests, designed to provide a comprehensive look at how members of minority groups are faring in the American educational system, from top to bottom. But while the data it offers on that subject are decidedly mixed — showing significant progress over time for all groups, but wide gaps remaining in access to and success in college — the report’s most provocative (and potentially troubling) numbers may be about gender, not race.

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Most of the data in the report from the Education Department’s statistical arm have been released in earlier or narrower reports. But by bringing together reams of statistics over 30 years on the full gamut of educational measures, from pre-primary enrollment of 3- to 5-year-olds to median incomes for adults over 25, the study aims to provide a broad-based look at “the educational progress and challenges that racial and ethnic minorities face in the United States.”

Progress and challenges are both evident; virtually every category contains good news and bad news. In the higher education realm, for instance, the report shows that where black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian/Alaska Native students made up 17 percent of college undergraduates in 1976, their share of that total had risen to 32 percent by 2004. And each of those groups saw their raw numbers at least double over that time, with some groups showing significantly greater proportional increases, as seen in the table below:

 

1976

2004

% Change

Black

943,355

1,918,465

103%

Hispanic

352,893

1,666,859

372%

Asian/Pacific Islander

169,291

949,882

461%

American Indian/Alaska Native

69,729

160,318

130%

Representation in graduate education changed along roughly the same lines, the study finds, with minority group members making up 25 percent of the graduate school population in 2004, up from 11 percent in 1976.

In addition, the proportion of all 18- to 24-year-old Americans who were enrolled in college rose sharply for all racial groups between 1980 and 2004, in most cases increasing by at least 50 percent.

But those positive developments aside, the research shows that members of underrepresented minority groups badly lag their white and Asian peers in college going. By 2004, 60.3 percent of Asian/Pacific Islander 18- to 24-year-olds were enrolled in college, as were 41.7 of white Americans in that age group. The numbers were lower for other groups: 31.8 for black Americans, 24.7 for Hispanics, and 24.4 percent for American Indian/Alaska Natives.

Similarly, the proportion of degrees awarded to most racial minority groups fell well short of their representation in the population. Slightly less than 10 percent of all college degrees awarded by U.S. degree-granting institutions in 2003-4 — and 9.3 percent of bachelor’s degrees, and 6 percent of doctorates — went to African-Americans, who make up 12 percent of the population. Hispanics fared worse, earning 7.3 of all degrees, 6.8 percent of baccalaureate degrees, and 3.4 percent of doctorates, despite making up 14 percent of the U.S. populace.

Concerning as those numbers might be to advocates for minority education, the most striking data in the report are probably those related to the educational outcomes of men, of all races and ethnicities.

By virtually every measure used in the report, male students have fallen far behind their female counterparts. That development isn’t new, but the federal report lays out the situation starkly. For instance, the study finds that the gender gap in undergraduate enrollments expanded generally and for all races between 1976 and 2004, as seen in the table below:

The Gender Gap in Undergraduate Enrollments, 1976 to 2004

 

Proportion of undergraduates
who were male, 1976

Proportion of Undergraduates
Who Were Male, 2004

% Difference Between Female
and Male Enrollment, 2004

  

All

52.0%

42.9%

14.2%

  

White

52.4%

44.1%

11.8%

  

Black

45.7%

35.7%

28.6%

  

Hispanic

54.3%

41.4%

17.1%

  

Asian/Pacific Islander

53.8%

46.2%

7.5%

  

American Indian/Alaska Native

49.9%

39.1%

21.8%

  

Similarly, the proportion of male 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in college in 2004 had fallen to 34.7 percent, compared to 41.2 percent for women. Six to 10 percent gaps existed for all racial groups, too, with the exception of Asian/Pacific Islanders; for them, men were more likely to be enrolled in college by a 63 to 58 percent margin.

Women are also outperforming men as degree recipients, as seen in the table below:

Degrees Conferred by Gender and Race, 2003-4

Demographic Group

All degrees

White men

818,690

White women

1,121,646
   

Black men

87,728

Black women

184,183
   

Hispanic men

78,775

Hispanic women

122,784
   

Asian/Pacific Islander men

75,435

Asian/Pacific Islander women

93,335
   

American Indian/Alaska Native men

8,476

American Indian/Alaska Native women

14,255

— Doug Lederman

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Comments

Men and minorities in education

Three days ago Inside Higher ED ran an article purporting discrimination against women in the sciences and in philosophy. Given the hard statistics shown in this article, one wonders if we now need a Title X for men. The simple truth is that women have far outnumbered men in higher ed grad rates since about 1982.

The truth will set you free!

feudi pandola, at 9:15 am EDT on September 13, 2007

race gender gaps

the question is what majors are women selecting. i would hazard a guess that they are primarily in the humanities and social sciences and less so in mathematics and sciences. and within the humanities and social sciences clusterd in certain disciplines that are gendered.

Jill, at 10:45 am EDT on September 13, 2007

It would not surprise me to find that a significant proportion of this increase of women students and degree-earners comes from a much-maligned group of women: welfare mothers. Whether divorced or never married, many of these women are preparing themselves—and indirectly, their children—to support their families, busting the stereotype of welfare mothers in a dramatic way. Does anybody have any data?

eac, at 12:40 pm EDT on September 13, 2007

Don’t jump to conclusions

It’s great to have this kind of statistical data available however the concern is what conclusions the readers of such stats reach. Feudi Pandola seems to suggest that current numbers demonstrate gender equity in higher education is becoming a non-issue. But men still greatly outnumber women when it comes to senior administrative roles, graduate studies, full professor positions, and recipients of research grants. Statistical numbers of women in undergraduate programs is only one measure of gender equity in what is a vast and complex issue.

LM, at 12:40 pm EDT on September 13, 2007

No Surprise Here

The education community has feminized education at all levels over the past 30 years and now more males appear disinterested in being involved in it. Well, duh.

Is the solution really to use affirmative discrimination (lowered standards) to “solve” this “problem?”

Maybe the solution is to stop bashing males born today for whatever perceived injustices to others that were done before they were even born. Maybe this type of bashing should be removed from the textbooks and the lesson plans that fill Universities across the nation. Maybe then more males would be more interested in education.

ACF, at 1:05 pm EDT on September 13, 2007

Choices

LM (and others of the same mind),

Because one group of individuals, statistically lumped together because of exterior factors, might have more choices than another group — does not mean they are illegally discriminated against.

If I can choose to get married, drop out of school & work, raise children & do what I want to do — haven’t I just made a discrimination/choice among options?

I would suggest, that those (men) who have less choices tend to work harder, take more dangerous jobs, travel away from their families more, in general: do what they are told (for fear of losing a job).

The statistics can be used to show that most employers want wage slaves, whose entire self-image is determined by their job title and ability to take care of a family.

Individuals (male or female or otherly-gendered) who have plenty of options or choices in life, would seem like less attractive job applicants; here today, off on a yacht in the Carribean or stay at home parent next year.

Dr. F. Gump, at 4:55 pm EDT on September 13, 2007

ACF nailed it. Nice job!

SMS, at 10:00 am EDT on September 14, 2007

fewer men in college

Heed ACF’s comment, “No Surprise Here,” about why there are fewer and fewer men in college. I couldn’t agree more, given this country’s incessant and relentless male bashing, fueled by man-hating feminists and supported by unprincipled, pandering media.

Harold Jewell, University of Rochester, at 10:00 am EDT on September 14, 2007

Pay Equity

From an AAUW publication Behind the Pay Gap: “Women have made remarkable strides in education during the past three decades, but these gains have yet to translate into full equity in pay-even for college-educated women who work full time. A typical college-educated woman working full time earns $46,000 a year compared to $62,000 for college-educated male workers — a difference of $16,000!” Data are for men and women over age 25 based on graduates between 1992 and 2001.As of April 2007, women were earning 77 cents for every dollar earned by men of equivalent educational background. I find it difficult to understand the injustice to men that brings out all this rage and name-calling! More women are seeking higher education, earning degrees and coming to the workforce with better skills. Isn’t this a benefit to all of us? More women attending college certainly doesn’t keep men out at my institution!

Anne, Iowa Lakes Community College, at 1:55 pm EDT on September 14, 2007

Leading indicator ...

LM states “men still greatly outnumber women when it comes to senior administrative roles, graduate studies, full professor positions, and recipients of research grants."===========

What we have here is a leading indicator. Look at the age profile of those who are full professors, senior administrators, etc. Given tenure requirements, the youngest graduated with Phd’s in 1995 and were undergrads in about 1990. Pick an outside age of 70, then you find that the current population of professors are those that graduated between 1957 and 1990 when the gender differences were reversed.

I observed similar trends when I was in industry. Many years ago, complaints were about not enough female employees even though hiring practices had changed to emphasize females. Then complaints were about not enough female managers, even though the average length of service of a beginning manager was 13 years. Then the ‘glass ceiling’ was about not enough directors. Eventually the ‘glass ceiling’ moved to not enough vice presidents, and today its about the shortage of female CEO’s.

Give it time and the differences will somewhat even out. I say somewhat because there will always be more females than males who choose to pursue the “mommy-track’. This is not a problem; those who pursue the career-track have made the right decision for them, and those who pursue the mommy-track have made the proper decision for themselves. However, the parent-track will likely continue to have a female bias, and this will likely continue to create somewhat uneven numbers.

MLH, at 4:15 pm EDT on September 16, 2007

Another possibility

Over the past few decades more and more technical professions have appeared which require a different kind of education — often involving certifications in specific very advanced technical skills such as network management, database administration, etc. Med are disproportionately likely to be involved in these technical, and relatively high paying, careers, while woman are more likely to be involved in education, social work, nursing, and other careers which require degreesgranted by “traditional” colleges but which continue to be overall les high paying than the above careers. My read of these statistics is that more men (in number) are enrolled in college now than 30 years ago, but that the proportion of men to women has reversed. Given the types of careers that are in demand today, this seems neither surprising NOR concerning to me.

Victoria Odhner, Associate Director at ELAm Program, Drexel COM, at 11:10 am EDT on September 17, 2007

The Issue Is Systemic

Is there an inextricable link between the underrepresentation of males, particularly black and latino in postsecondary institutions AND the overrepresentation of these same men in our nations’ penal institutions? Perhaps an authentic, comparative analysis of both phenomena will reveal the politics of difference that work to contribute to the social, emotional, economic, personal, and educational factors that I postulate are ‘common’ to both groups. What say you?

WG Ward, PhD, Associate Professor SPED at North Park University, at 1:05 pm EDT on September 18, 2007

Postsecondary Picture

Has today’s media stereotyped men into blue collar mindsets? What is the proportional difference bewteen men and women in professional sports? How does men:women the United States compare with other industrial nations.

James, secondary teacher, at 2:55 pm EDT on September 19, 2007

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