Despite the increasing proportion of women in higher education, there is still a lack of representation of women in key positions. While women make up the majority of undergraduate students, they are a minority among lecturers, professors, and senior staff. Furthermore, women are underrepresented in publishing, but they do make up a greater proportion of graduates than men. That’s why the IESALC (the International Institute for Higher Education of Latin America) launched its report on gender in higher education on March 8. The purpose of the document is to contribute to the celebrations of the International Women’s Day in 2021.
While some colleges are trying to fill this gap, they are not addressing the root cause of the problem. Male students face challenges similar to those faced by females. One such challenge is the difficulty for boys to learn to read. Additionally, boys are taught misogyny at the expense of their female classmates. These issues are rooted in society’s bias against women. Attempting to address the problem by implementing policy changes, activism, and discourse on male enrollment decline is unlikely to provide solutions.
In addition to the pay gap, it is crucial to understand why men and women choose to attend college. Men’s education and economic prospects have changed dramatically since the mid-1980s. While the gender gap is no longer breaking news, it does highlight a genuine shift in the participation of men in higher education and the economy. The prevailing ideology of masculinity hasn’t caught up. That’s why women are still outnumbered by men in the most high-paying fields.