New Federal Report: Women Dominate College (and More)
Paul Richlovsky, Managing Editor, YouShouldGoToSchool.com
As has been seen for years in the making, a new federal report confirms that women hold a disproportionate share of the enrollments of higher-education institutions at every degree level and are slated to increase that share in the next decade.
The U.S. Education Department study, released on May 27, shows that women represent three-fourths of the increase in the number of master's degrees awarded in the United States since the late 1990s. They have also constituted a vast majority of the growth in the number of professional degrees earned.
While the implications for women (and men) are taking the headlines, the report also finds:
- more people are earning college degrees
- more money is being spent on college degrees
- a higher proportion of undergraduates are studying abroad
International Competitiveness
Another question the report raises is that of international competitiveness. As Miller Center debates and Harvard economics professor Lawrence Katz remind us, the United States lags behind many of the world's players in graduation rates, and hence the overall competence and skill of its young workforce. Experts point to solutions that get more students to graduate high school and/or achieve some postsecondary education, whether via traditional four-year colleges or practical career training.
For-Profit Education is Here to Stay
As one of the main providers of practical career training, the for-profit education industry offers a middle path for those not suited to traditional college but who could benefit from short-term vocational education. A sign of for-profit education's increasing viability, "The Condition of Education 2010" notes substantial growth in both the number of colleges and their proportion of the total student population.
The long-held belief that four-year college degrees are the only paths to career, financial and personal happiness is just that: a belief, occasionally misguided, and as the numbers suggest, often flat-out wrong.