Abstract
Women outnumber men in college attendance for the first time in United States history. Research to date has shown that while male privilege persists in the U.S. regarding some aspects of society (e.g., disproportionate numbers of men in leadership positions), men as a whole are decreasingly represented in institutions of higher learning. Liberal arts and Jesuit colleges maintain an even wider gender gap. Particularly, men of color and men from low socioeconomic backgrounds are at an increasing disadvantage in regards to admissions and scholarship review practices. The educational, biological, psychological, and social factors contributing to lack of male achievement are discussed and applied to the context of the national educational gender gap. Specific attention is given to the roles and values of liberal arts and Jesuit institutions’ responsibilities to respond to the current changing environment. Drawing from national research and Seattle University practices as examples, implications and solutions for reconciling this new gender gap are discussed in terms of admissions outreach and procedures.
Recommended Citation
Gerdes, Zachary T.
(2014)
"The Crisis of a New Gender Gap:
Male Underrepresentation in Liberal Arts Higher Education,"
MAGIS: Vol. 8:
Iss.
1, Article 19.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/magis/vol8/iss1/19