Research in Social Stratification and Mobility | MPC Member: Tom VanHeuvelen
Policy makers, commentators, and some scholars have become increasingly concerned that men are falling further behind women in college attendance rates. There has been concern about which men and women, in terms of academic qualifications, attend colleges in the U.S. —particularly elite colleges that are associated with the greatest economic and social returns. MPC member Tom VanHeuvelen and co-author Natasha Quadlin set out to examine these questions in this era of heightened competitiveness using data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 and the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009.
The research found:
- Given equal qualifications, men and women had roughly equal chances of attending top colleges
- The largest changes were concentrated among less-prepared students attending less-selective institutions
- Less prepared men increasingly opt into two-year colleges, while less prepared women’s enrollment has stayed more or less constant, weakening women’s advantages at this level of education
- Gender imbalances continue to favor of men at some top STEM-oriented institutions
- The study only look at actual enrollment rates, not admission applications
While commentary continues to focus on elite institutions, this research shows the recent changes at non-elite institutions are much more consequential for broader education trends.