Posts tagged with gender.
Should we lower the university entry standards for men?
When it comes to future university applications, good grades and extracurricular activities might not be the only filters.
According to Torben Drewes, an economist at Trent University, universities might have to start thinking of men as a 'disadvantaged group' when it comes to post-secondary education.
Meaning a third filter: gender.
The university gender gap is growing. The Association of Universities and Colleges in Canada reports that in 2006, 56 per cent of Canadian undergraduates were women. Compare this number to the early 1970s, when more than two-thirds of university graduates in their mid-20s were men.
So why are men now so heavily outnumbered on campus? In a study released earlier this week, "The University Gender Gap: The Role of High School Grades," Drewes suggests a simple answer: girls study more than boys. They get better high-school marks, which in turn gets them into university.
Makes sense, right? If you study hard, the payoff includes higher marks and entry into university. But who needs a study to tell us that?
Interestingly, according to the study, the fact that girls study more accounts for just under half of the difference between male and female grades. Maybe the answer isn't so simple after all.
The other half, Drewes explains, is due to girls' "greater efficiency in converting a given amount of study time into a grade." Meaning, girls don't just study more. They also study better.
So what, if anything, should universities be doing about this? Should they lower admission criteria for male applicants? Is it even a university's responsibility to maintain a gender balance?
Effort isn't the only factor. So how are girls studying 'better'? In an interview with the Ottawa Citizen, Drewes said something in the high school system "rewards girls more than boys." However, that doesn't mean he's in favour of creating lower university entry standards for males. "That seems wrong."
I have five children, one girl and four boys. Interestingly, Jenny, my oldest, has always had the highest marks among my five kids. Of course, her three youngest brothers are only 4, 11, and 13. But even comparing how she did at their ages and grades, her marks were always higher.
Why?
I always assumed it's because Jenny has an incredible work ethic. She's a well-organized student who makes school and homework a priority. During her years in public school, unlike her younger brothers, I never had to remind her to do her homework, or lecture her about studying harder.
I've never considered her gender as a possible factor in her academic success.
The study concluded that the difference between male and female grades can be explained by girls not only studying more, but also studying more efficiently than boys. Makes sense to me.
Sounds like our girls can teach the boys a thing or two.
Tagged with
high,
school,
grades,
university,
study,
gender,
girls,
boys,
habits
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KATHY DOBSON 
