Women outnumber men on U.S. college campuses

By Howard and Matthew Greene
Knight Ridder News Service

At UH-Manoa, women outnumber men. That, some students say, gives men the edge in campus social life. Advertiser library photo • 2003

At Hawaii Pacific University, women make up about 55 percent of enrollment, a slightly smaller gender split than at UH-Manoa. These three got HPU nursing degrees last May. Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

Women now outnumber men on U.S. four-year campuses by a wide margin. In 2003, 712,000 women earned a bachelor's degree, compared with 531,000 men. More women than men also received two-year associate degrees. And 274,000 women received master's degrees, compared with 194,000 men.

In Hawai'i, enrollments reflect the national trend (see chart, E5). For example, in 2003, 11,125 women were enrolled at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa, versus 8,562 men, the UH Institutional Research Office reported.

The number of women who earned a bachelor's degree at UH-Manoa last year was 1,438, compared with 955 men; and 624 women attained master's degrees, compared with 378 men.

Nationwide, undergraduate enrollments and the ratio of high-school graduating students indicate that this disparity will continue to grow.

Not too long ago, far fewer women attended college at all, and many of the elite colleges admitted only men.

Why has the gender shift occurred? There are a number of conjectures. Some evidence suggests that young women are maturing earlier than their male counterparts and therefore might be expected to achieve academically at an earlier age.

As more public and private colleges have become more selective in admissions, a greater number of young women present a more impressive academic, and often leadership, profile to admissions committees.

Two-thirds of four-year college students enroll in public universities, which put greater emphasis on statistical qualifications — high-school grade point average, quality of courses taken, class rank and test scores — in selecting their entering class. The result is that a higher percentage of women are accepted. Some flagship state university campuses now have a 60/40 imbalance of women to men on campus.

Another factor is the explosion of technological knowledge and the career opportunities this has created. It is primarily in the fields of physical sciences and engineering that men still outnumber women in degrees achieved. Many young men are attracted to jobs in the technical fields directly out of high school and decide to bypass a college education.

What does all this mean on campus?

On some campuses the relative shortage of men may make relationships more difficult to establish.

"I hear from my girlfriends, like, they'll be complaining ... (about) where to meet them," UH-Manoa graduate student Jill Kanda said and laughed.

It's slim pickings at the university, especially in the field in which Kanda is majoring — speech pathology. "It's probably 90 percent women," said Kanda, 24.

On a number of campuses nationwide, women report that they have to play a stereotypical "dumbing down" role to have an active social life. Or women must be highly successful academically, and simultaneously face social pressures to be attractive and athletic to fit in.

UH students Simon Tseng, 21, and Brent Obrero, 19, see the difference as a definite advantage for the men.

"It's easier for guys to meet girls," said Tseng, a junior (who emphasized he already has a girlfriend and isn't looking).

Obrero, a freshman, works at Hale Kahawai, an all-women dormitory.

"So I meet girls, like, every day," Obrero said and laughed. ... "I'm not really looking for a relationship. It's just fun to meet a lot of different girls."

Another issue is the availability of courses and programs of more interest to some women.

While an institution may have more women than men enrolled, it does not automatically follow that the major fields of study are those many women might want to pursue.

Advertiser staff writer Zenaida Serrano contributed to this report.