01 August 2010
Academia and the male drought...
18 August 2006
Comment: Te Waha Nui Online
As women outnumber men in tertiary education, Amanda Snow considers the future consequences for our society, and what universities can do to attract men.
A new paper by the Institute of Policy Studies shows up to 40 per cent more women than men are enrolled in tertiary education.
This will have far reaching consequences for the future as we know it.
Although just how far that “reach” would be is not specified in the report.
Numerous references are made to retention, achievement and academic levels at university.
But, as a mature student, I don’t think people have a right to mention my retention rates – which admittedly haven’t been the same since having children.
Less pay, limited education, and more time at home with the kids is the type of future facing men while the opposite is true for the now vast number of high achieving women.
But, according to the research, highly paid women apparently have fewer children than their poorly paid counterparts, which would mean (conveniently) there may not be any children for our men to stay at home with.
It seems women, famous the world over for their multi-tasking abilities (as I write, I’m washing the dog, making breakfast, and knitting a scarf) can juggle countless tasks simultaneously— but aren’t good at being paid high incomes and having babies at the same time.
It’s an ill-fated oversight, on our highly educated part, to have evolved to the point where earning big bucks and bearing babies have become mutually exclusive (darn it!).
The research fails to point out that a world of adults and no children would have even further reaching consequences for the future – there wouldn’t be one.
The paper’s co-author, Dr Paul Callister, says law, medicine and dentistry – traditionally the domain of men – are just a few of the higher courses now dominated by women.
About 30 per cent more women than men are enrolled in bachelor courses (perhaps time for a name change here?) while a whopping 40 per cent more women than men are enrolled in post graduate study.
We have brainy women everywhere — but so few men.
Which begs the age-old question: Where the hell are they?
According to the Institute of Policy Studies, they can be found toiling away in apprenticeship courses or “industry training” (the report doesn’t specify which industry).
Dr Callister, presumably male — although given the newly released statisics he may not be — should be ashamed for shifting our focus on such a fearful future for the brotherhood.
Because here’s what’s really being said – that men will spend the rest of their lives undereducated (dumb), on lower incomes (broke), and will be the chief care-giver (on the couch a lot).
It’s insulting.
And even worse, highly educated women may be forced to “marry down” to them.
Wow – great times ahead for us all!
Precious little is being done to entice the average Kiwi male (who is now the below-average male) to seek a higher education. And perhaps this is no accident.
Any intelligent man, Dr Callister included, on the campus of a female infested tertiary institution will be basking in the male-deprived harem of women. And he ain’t gonna wanna share. And that’s the money shot right there.
In order to lure our boys back to the lecture room it’s time for universities to take a stand and play their glaringly obvious trump card.
Perhaps a slogan, something simple — such as: “Guys, this is where the girls are!”
(Now watch them flock!).
