Our very own UNC-Chapel Hill was highlighted in the NYT over the weekend discussing how the college gender gap affects more than just academia. The article, “The New Math on Campus,” looked into the social ramifications of a non-traditional male/female ratio, specifically how it effects college dating and relationships.
“University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, with a student body that is nearly 60 percent female, is just one of many large universities that at times feel eerily like women’s colleges.
Needless to say, this puts guys in a position to play the field, and tends to mean that even the ones willing to make a commitment come with storied romantic histories.”
The article sheds light on the overlooked situation most college men and women regularly face: there are more women than men in the classroom, the graduating class and now, the social scene.
According to a recent report by the American Council on Education, women have represented about 57 percent of enrollment in colleges since 2000. The increase of women on campuses is significant to note as women only began attending college in the late 19th Century. But today, women outnumber men and such a population change is sure to bring social ramifications. While understanding the full effect, if any, the lop-sided male/female ratio is having on the dating culture is far from conclusive. What we do know is women on gender-imbalanced campuses are sacrificing values for an encounter with the disappearing male- and these consequences should not be overlooked.
So women are not supposed to attend college?
This gender gap continues even now, 10 Mar 2012, over eight years. Yet the ‘Great Leader’ just today lectured us on the importance of equal opportunity in the workplace for women. I guess the government’s method of achieving this is to create a permanent change (i.e. shortage) in the supply of qualified male candidates. Is this really the correct method to achieve equality?