The higher ed gender gap is widening, reports Richard Fry for the Pew Research Center. Fewer young men are pursuing degrees, especially at four-year colleges and universities.
College enrollment has been declining for all students over the past decade, he writes, but the fall is steeper for males. "Today, men represent only 42% of students ages 18 to 24 at four-year schools, down from 47% in 2011."
Thirty-nine percent of male high school graduates are enrolled in college now, down from 47 percent in 2011, Fry reports. Forty-eight percent of female high school graduates are enrolled in college, down from 52 percent.
The gender gap in college-going is widest for white high school graduates, Pew reports.