Can Gender Role Explain Why More Women are Attending College?

In the past few decades, the number of women going to college has increased
significantly. Between 40-60 percent of women take the lead in enrollment and degree
completion. During fall of 2011, University of New Mexicos undergraduate enrollment count
for women stood at 11,590 compared to 9,345 for men. In fact, census and enrollment statistics
nationally prove that women are surpassing their male counterparts in educational attainment.
Relatedly, in the workforce, the once dominated male career fields are being filled with more and
more educated women. So what is driving this trend? Is it a sign of our society moving closer to
gender equity? Or is it an unintended consequence of national growth and development?
Many scholars have proposed different arguments to explain the driving force behind
this trend. William Doherty, Brian Willoughby, and Jason Wilde in their article, Family
Relations, attribute this trend to the changes in the family structure. They argue that the
increasing rates of divorce and separation has contributed to the growing gender gap in college
enrollment in favor of girls. This is because absence of a father negatively impacts boys
educational attainment more so than girls education attainment. The data they examined shows a
correlation between an increase in college enrollment rates for girls in single-mother households.
Recognizing that correlation does not imply causation, the authors examined longitudinal data to
see if their claim can indeed be supported in the long-run.
In their study, the authors found that in families where both parents were present there
was a gender gap between males and females, with females still surpassing males. However, in
families where the father figure was not present there was a bigger gender gap in the ratio of
male to females attending college. While data analysis and can provide statistical evidence for

the existence of these trends, it does little to explain what is driving them. To this end, the
researchers argue gender roles have a large part to play. In their words, if children aim to
emulate the adult roles of their same-sex parents, then girls may increasingly expect to fully
support both themselves and their children whereas, conversely, males may come to anticipate a
less central or more transient role. The argument here is one of perceptions of success and
achievement available for children as they are growing up. In single-mother families, it is the
mother who is seen as the stable, successful, and accomplished and being female impacts how
this is internalized among both male and female children. For girls, the mother figure becomes a
positive and encouraging role model; whereas, for boys the mother being of the opposite gender
becomes less relatable and hence impacts their level of achievement negatively.
Parents have a great deal of influence and impact on the gender ideologies adopted by
their children. When children enter the age of two, they become increasingly aware of the
differences from the other sex. As they develop their identity, they begin to pick up cues about
how they should act from the parent that is the same sex as them. As they grow up these
behaviors are reinforced and contrasted by their peers, schools, and increasingly by social media.
If these patterns hold, then absence of a father figure to act as the successful and accomplished
role can be a logical explanation for the growing gender gap in college enrollment between
males and females.
The increasing number of women going to college signifies a change in gender roles.
This must mean that the parents are doing something different compared to previous decades. It
is difficult to conclusively say whether this trend can be attributed to the changing structure of
the traditional family structure, or perhaps to an increase in parents driving their daughters to

reach their potential, or a combination of these and other factors. What can be deduced from this
study and others is that gender roles do indeed have a significant impact on child development.
Being aware of this fact allows us to recognize that children of both sexes need to be constantly
nurtured and encouraged by parents (especially so for families where the mother or father figure
is absent). Throughout childhood, encouraging and stimulating children regardless of their
gender can go increase the chances of them living a more successful and accomplished life, and
as suggested by the aforementioned study this begins with the parents and guardians taking an
active role in breaking the implicit and explicit gender role barriers.