The number of men in college is on a decline that is expected to continue for the next ten years. In 1970, women constituted less than 45 percent of college students, but by 1983 women had gained parity with men. U.S. Department of Education researchers predict that by 2008 men will comprise only 42 percent of college students.
“This is an absolute revolution,” according to Thomas Mortenson, an educational researcher based in Iowa.
Because males can pursue lucrative job opportunities without college a education in the burgeoning high-tech industries, many men are choosing this career path instead of college. Fewer women are given access to these high paying jobs.
This pattern mirrors what has happened in occupations that shift from male-dominated to female-dominated due to gender bias and become lower-paying in the process.