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Sunday, April 5

Affirmative action to close the gender gap?

We seem to be approaching an enrollment ratio of 58% females to 42% males. However, as more men drop out during college than women, around graduation time the ratio will be a disturbing 60 to 40.The gap is even evident in our high schools as more girls graduate and more boys drop out.

"So what?" many girls wonder. Well, it does matter. As we tend to marry within our group, most people seek out partners with a similar educational background. And although men are more likely to date a woman with less education, women do not appear to be willing to lower the bar. So in ten years from now, where will the husbands come from? Another country maybe? International dating sites? What about the future organizations depending on educated personnel? How badly will be men outnumbered?

Many institutions simply ignore the disparity. Administrators are not likely to admit that the gap is a problem. For example, Stephen Farmer, director of undergraduate admissions at the University of North Carolina, where the males constitute 41% of the college’s populations, said: “We really have made no attempt to balance the class. We are gender blind in applications." Are other administrators trying to address the situation through some sort of affirmative action? Many say it would be politically incorrect. Also illegal, as Sarah Karnasiewicz reported in the article “The campus crusade for guys.” In 1999, a woman filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the University of Georgia in Athens, after it was revealed that the school had attempted to balance gender on campus by awarding preference to male applicants. The university responded that it was trying to reverse male flight from campus before it "became something bad." The judge however did not agree and ruled that "the desire to 'help out' men who are not earning baccalaureate degrees in the same numbers as women ... [was] far from persuasive."

This is how it works with public institutions. But when it comes to private ones, the law is fuzzy and the needs of the institutions serious. If they tolerate a 70/30 ratio how attractive will the college be to prospective students? Nancy Gibbs cited (TIME, 2008, April 3) a U.S. News & World Report according to which the admissions rate of men at the College of William and Mary was 12% higher than that of women--because "even women who enroll ... expect to see men on campus. It's not the College of Mary and Mary; it's the College of William and Mary."

So there you have it. Affirmative action to close the gender gap is translated into turning down female applicants with better qualifications than males. Some consider it a necessary reaction of a society addressing disparities. Others are fiercely opposing it. Your thoughts?

112 comments:

mdns7 said...

In my opinion it isn't fair to girls. If guys are bitching about not being accepted over girls then they need to work harder. It shouldnt matter that we are guys, we shouldnt get preferential treatment over girls that work harder to get to the same place. Start working.

junyor0169 said...

I personally feel as though "Affirmative Action" for men wouldn’t make that huge of a difference. As a man I feel that more men feel that they can do more while out of school and think that a secondary education is useless. I don’t necessarily agree with this, as I see it in today’s world, a post-secondary education is a secondary thought; to men at least. If schools start accepting men over women because of their sex, the school will lose its credibility. Being accepted to a university is a reward for working and studying hard throughout high school. If schools start admitting men in because of their sex, it'll only widen the gap because men will do far more less work ten they do now.

nomad0526 said...

Personally, I really don’t have much of an opinion about this topic. I really feel that there are much more important things to worry about than balancing the gender ratios in schools. I think that we should let the numbers decide. We have standardized tests, and sores that must be met in order to gain entrance into higher education facilities. If the guys can’t make the scores needed and the girls can, let the girls succeed, and visa versa.

cashmere said...

I don't think it's fair to say we have to balance this and that. Come on...it really should be about letting the best person win or get in college or get a job!

It's like building the dams. We thought we had a better plan and come to find out we just screwed things up worse. People just feel the need to oversee everything!
As for school, if we stop being competetive then all you have to do is sit back and search for a school that needs your gender. Why worry about grades...it's now all about balance???

I hope we don't try this out for size and find out the hard way...

MikeATLfalcons said...

i think that they should just take whoever is more qualified not what gender they are so that they can even up the numbers.i think that if less men are qualified then thats what it is. dont try to make it out to something it isnt. if there are less men they there are less men. there is some much contraversy over being sexist. well this seems a little sexist to me.

Anonymous said...

I can say that this is a very good topic to talk about. The topic is very profound and interesting. I don’t agree to the action of turning down female applicants with better qualifications than males just because there is a gender gap. I think it is very unfair to turn down an application belonging to a female who studied all night and made an effort to have the grades she has. I don’t think this is an extinction case where we have to control some kind of specie of eating specie who is in the danger of extinction. In this case, males should be ashamed by their actions and realize that they will become less intelligent than the women. I don’t agree on turning down females’ application but I agree on encouraging the males to do better.

Anonymous said...

I kind of see where the institution is going with the whole "this is william and mary not mary and mary" deal because if your attending a co-ed university or just any form of schooling you will be expecting to see people of the opposite sex where as at single sex schools its obvious what will be presented before you even step foot onto the campus. the statistics are realistic because if you think about it more men are in jail or prison than women insinuating that their success rate is higher. now with the affirmative action, i don't know if people really pay that much attention to the gender ratio to be worried about making it a big deal like once your in college your more worried about going to class getting your work done then meeting people and getting married to them in the long run the only people that are associated with are the ones that are in the classroom with you because you have something in common, a goal. and opposite sex ratio is not a goal.

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Sly2 said...

I was always taught that the better person should win, but in most cases it doesn't work out that way. It is unfair for woman to have to deal with this kind of situation. Most woman work harder then men anyway. Personally I would rather have a working woman by my side then a non-working one. So yes they should find a way to balance it.

Uniqueanswers said...

I don't not really have an opinion on the whole issue. It could be, because I've never heard about it. From what I read, it doesn't seem like, turning down female appilcants is helping to solve the problem of balancing out the college population. I think that they're creating another problem all together. But there seems to be a lot of trying to solve problems with creating new problems, going on today. I just hope someone fixes it soon.

Millz617 said...

i feel it isnt fair to women. women have been fighting for a long time to gain a place in society being that its a "mans world". woman have come a long way from being house wifes, now their working just as hard as man if not better just to secure a more promising tomorrow and gain their respect. if men are given a hand out like that they'll only see it fit to slack off even more. being that men are so stuck on pride, it'll only be due time untill young men start realizing women are getting much further ahead of them and men will being applying the neccessary steps to overcome the statistics. no man likes being looked down upon by a female. its hurtful to a mans pride being that were the more "dominant" gender. so i feel in due time men will get back on track and pick the pace up!

steven.majdecki said...

I believe that gender should not have any effect on who gets accepted into a specific college. In my opinion thats a form of segregation. I also think that if we are not going to use gender guidelines for college that we shouldn't use gender or race for making quotas for jobs as well. A lot of jobs out there have to have a certain amount of people that are minorities, male and female and I believe that the best qualified should go the job. In America they teach us not to segregate, so our society needs to remove the minority and gender sections out of college and job applications and just choose the best qualified.

smmy589 said...

I don't really have much of an opinion on this topic. As a women i don't see how this is fair in anyway and they would just be creating a bigger problem by admitting men in to a college that don't want to be there and don't really work to stay there!

Nydia said...
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Nydia said...

Wow! What is this world coming to? What ever happen to treating people equally? Than again when has that happen. I think that it’s a shame that schools are actually doing this. It is so unfair for those who bust their butts to get where they want to be and then get rejected because of their gender. It makes me highly upset because I am a single mother doing everything and anything to get further in life. For so many years woman have been treated unequal and after all this time it seems like that will never some to a stop

Unknown said...

Seriously, what kind of crap is this? Whose fault is it that the guys aren't stepping their game up?? This isnn't right in the least. Why should girls have to be punished because the guys are trying to take the easy way out. It's been like this for hundreds of years, why did we expect it change? I'm not knocking the guys in any way but I mean come on, this is just not right. Why should I have to be turned down from the college that I have been working for years to get in to just because there aren't enough guys in the school? Please help me understand this.

Krys said...

There once was a time when women were not able to go to college. I believe women have come a long way to not even being allowed to vote to now having most of the class female. Not only is it completely wrong but it also illegal to only limit so many woman in colleges because the men are not filling out as many applications as they use to. I do not think they should limit how many females they have in a college nor should they lower the standards for guys and raise the standards for girls to get into college. That is not only sexist but it is just plan wrong. Woman have stepped up to the plate in getting a higher education and graduating from college now men are dropping the ball. It is not the womans fault why punish them and make them work even harder then they already are? I am sure that we can find other ways of helping getting more men back into college so that woman can find there "it" guy. Because it is a proven fact that woman will not go after a guy that has a lower education then she does. Apparently there is another issue with guys not going to school not just that there standards are to high, and until we figure that out and get guys in school this topic will keep coming up and woman are going to keep fighting to keep what they have been working for, for decades.

Court said...

I strongly oppose affirmative action for males. If a woman applies to a university with better qualifications than a man, she should be accepted. I don't believe in "pity" acceptance. We should not lower our standards for men because they are lazier than women. It is not fair to women for universities to accept lower qualified men simply because they are men. If females are studying harder and excelling above men academically, the women should be awarded the opportunity to further their education. Gender should play no role in whether or not a person is accepted into a university. The solution is men stepping up to get into universities, not universities lowering their standards in order to accept men.

Redder said...

In my opinion I think there is a reasoning for this just like when girls couldnt get into college becasue they were girls. "What goes around comes around" and that is what is happening here. Now it is just the guys turn. I think its fair in a way but i have not seen the gender gap and it is not out fault that many guys arent going to college we cant control that.The affirmative action is just going to balnce everyhting out again and it will be good for everyone. Im guessing it will be bad for some people but it will happen anyway in the near future. I think soon it will happen again but vice versa. Im glad that many women are getting into college but i would have to see some negative feedback or evidence to see if this is bad for having to many girls in college. College is optional and we see that mnay girls are taking that next step and guys arent. I think this affirmative action is good for both sides and open some eyes for people. Its just another chance for more diverse people to get in and more chanceto excel in life. So people take this time to try and get in while you can.

BadgeBunny said...

I had never heard of the possibility of affirmative action to close the gender gap until now. I don't know the reasons there are more females in college but I have some ideas. Many males opt for some type of vocational training or military service after graduating high school because most families aren't willing to support them any longer, while daughters aren't usually given the boot. Needing an immediate occupation that pays the bills, college usually isn't an option right out of high school. Many families fund their daughter's education because they don't want her to end up in a situation where she has to depend on a man, that's not usually the case for males. Males usually have to work their way through college because that's viewed as being a man. I agree that if you've worked and studied hard that you shouldn't be passed over just because the university wants more male students, but doesn't that happen anyway? Every college has their guidelines and they bend and tweak them however they choose to, whenever they choose to. If there's one opening left and the candidates are you and the next Kobe Bryant, who do you think that college is going to choose? I know it's the new Kobe! Your grades, test scores and community service are irrelevant at that point. If universities can give an athlete, who barely graduated high school a full ride because he's going to boost their ticket sales and help them get to the big game, then I think they can give a young man who got sidetracked, for whatever reason, a chance. Everybody deserves a fair chance.

DaLaTiNaChIcKa89 said...

As far as this new "Affirmative Action" thing is just ridiculous. If a college doesn't want to accept me because of my gender then that's just bs. I worked very hard to get into college and I am continuing to work hard so then I can go off onto receiving higher education. I feel that if men are dropping out, it's there own fault and there own problem. If you want to succeed, you will succeed. Colleges shouldn't be considered about the gender ratio, they should be considered with the number of people who graduate and move on to being successful. If colleges start becoming considered about this, it will only make them look bad and have them receive a bad reputation. If that's what they want, then hey I am not stopping you. Colleges need to not worry about that and worry about how they can better themselves as a whole and not about how many men and woman are on campus. They need to look at this big picture and this is not it.

akillies said...

As time passes it seems women are not slowly catching up but yet passing the direction of the man. Creating new paths and new ways to think. As men of course we get discouraged when a women has a better resume or test score. As well women should think about how men talk and how they feel not to the par of certain conversations. Men are individuals as well as women. It is fair to see that in the past women have been rejected since the man has been put on a pedestle and brother hood closer than more qualified employee. To make the schools have an equal attendant ratio because some are not as qualified and thats the way "William and Mary's" college should be is not the way to judge things. If a man is better hire the man. if the woman is better hire the woman. In this day and age everyone should be treated equal in any shape or form..

rvrview3 said...

i personally think its ok the way things are i love the ratio of women to males anywhere i may be. i personally like it when the females out number the males if men dont like it then do somthing about it like pick up that book instead of going to play ball or playing beer pong its called responsibility i have no problem with school it fairly easy to me so its no excuse. and people wonder why most people say women are smarter than men there is no reason why people should feel bad about males in the college society if they start letting more males in then the female population will deminsh noooo...

iLOVEpink said...

I believe this is wrong for many reasons. 1st I think that no one should have preferential treatment, not if you’re a male, and not if your dad or mom is an alumni of that school. I feel that if you want to get into college you should have to work for it. This just goes to show that women are willing to work harder to get a better education and will possibly be the stronger partner in their relationships. I agree with the others, this will definitely ruin college’s credibility.

trinity said...

It seems to me that we need some more information before jumping to any quick judgments. The article specifically addresses the B.A. level of education. I would be interested to know what the gender ratios are at the Master’s and Doctorate level. I would not be surprised to find that at these levels there are more males. If this is the case, then the higher educated females can find potential mates within the pool of even higher educated men. Should the colleges try to "equalize" the men to women? Well, if we go by history then, yes they should. Back when females were under represented in the post-secondary levels, administrators made allowances for the women applying in order to even the gap. So the real question is - should our men folk be given this same consideration. Personally, I do not believe the colleges should compromise by accepting less qualified applicants. It was wrong back then, and it is still wrong today. The best man for the job is and always has been - the best man for the job, regardless if they are male or female.

Edwin Kim said...

I strongly believe that gender should not have any effect on who gets accepted into a specific college or university. In my personal opinion, this is a form of segregation. This form of segregation can only bring more problems to this society. Being accepted to a university is a reward for working and studying hard throughout high school or even to achieve education goals. I don’t know about other countries, but in United States we use this system called equal opportunity. Men and women are equal. Schools can’t start admitting men more than women just because of their sex. That means, don’t choose students by their gender, but choose students who are qualified no matter what their gender is.

rkole4 said...

Let me express an example:
Male, not the brightest crayon in the box, doesn't put 100% effort into things, but can pass college and get a good job... Female, smart, wants to make a difference, hard worker, good qualities...
Both apply to the same college for a first-class education...
Male gets accepted because the college is trying to "fix the gap" and rejects the girl... The male goes through, either drops out, or finishes and just settles down with a good job... The female, not used to her full potential, is crushed. She could have helped many people with her goals in life...

With this example, I would like to say that rejecting potential females just to let some underqualified male get into a college to "fix the gap" could end up detrimental the economy.
I am personally against it...
Guys, let's all put a little more effort into our education.
Proverbs 21:5 "The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage."

Cesc_03 said...

Lol, First of all I'm a guy, and I totally disagree with the "balancing" between males and females. It doesnt make much sense. Why on earth would you turned down a hardworking student female for a lazy male? TELL ME? If a female choose to marry a uneducated male, its her fault, and if a male choose to marry a uneducated female, its his fault. School doesn't have anything to do with them choosing who they are going to marry. Also, its kinda sexcist somehow if Campus and Universities start terminating female applicants just to accept more boys.

Lastly, there are more things to worry about thant this topic.

People always have a choice, its in their hand to decide who they are going to marry with.

krisie2kyute said...

I don't believe accepting men just to balance a gender ratio is the right thing to do. I am sure these colleges aren't accepting women into their institutes just because they are women; it is because the women happen to have more credentials than the men. The men just have to start working harder. Since the the Women's Rights Movements society is now realizing that women are a force to be reckoned with. Because of women struggles throughout history to be accepted and to worker harder than average to be considered the same level of men is starting to catch up, also surpassing the men. The solution to this problem is trying to figure out how a way to get men motivated to get education: as the article said, "There is more women in in college." Most men love women. I believe Affirmative Action was to give people an equal opportunity, but if a person is not working hard they don't deserve the rewards. Society will not benefit if the schools tried to "balance" gender. It is a competative world out here, so we all have to work to get by.

medina said...

I don’t agree with what the campus enrollment advisor are doing. Turning down female applicants with better qualifications than males just because of the gender gap it’s a brainless action. This is an unfair action that is discriminating against girls’ students just because they have a larger enrollment ration than males. Women have been fighting for years for a better education, and now when they have the qualifications they are getting turn down because men are not stepping up in education. I do not understand how this gender gap can be a problem for a university; this problem should only affect the guys that drop out of high school or college, not the universities or the people that are working hard to get a better education. This ridicules!

JrSwiFEY said...

I think this is down right stupiD!! Women fought hard for are rights and we still are not being respected in the jpbs we do simply because we are women, and its very sexist. This whole idea is sexist to me for the simple fact that people are willing to down grade women for having more education than men and its sot far. Schools should not turn down women over men simply because men do not want to go to school, they need to get their priorities straight and realize that with out an education you are limited and will be left behind because thats just the way the world is now. Women deserve to be in any position they worked hard for so just becuause men are not going to school, does not mean they should turn down girls who have worked harder to get where they need to be. So i Definetly do not agree with this affirmative action policy!!!!

sk1ttles3189 said...

I would have to say that this is an article concerning the gender ratio of colleges across, but why is it such an issue? Yes, it is true that many find their partner in life with the same educational background, but it is honestly the only place to find that significant other? The article addressed the matter of where will men be found if women do not lower their bar of expectation… there will have to be somewhere, so it might be more of a challenge to find that someone. The ratio that many men are outnumbered by women should impact the ratio and have the male population intrigued that this is true. Maybe men should be awarded some but not more so that they will be more likely to attend college; applications should not be denied to females because of the uneven ration between genders as stated. If men became more like women and attended college there could be less of the negative outcomes of the high school educated men and more positive outcomes balancing the numbers within colleges.

thor177 said...

I've never liked the idea of affirmative action for anything. Competition lies at the very heart of the free market. Saying someone should have an advantage over someone else because they may be disadvantaged doesn't look at the whole person, just at a particular aspect of that person. I especially don't think it is a good idea to give boys any advantage over girls in order to get them into college. People should be judged based on merit. Sure, girls would like to see more boys on campus, but that is not the only place for women to find a mate. And is college supposed to be about finding a husband? I think not. College is supposed to be about getting a quality education and finding out what you would like to do as a career. I say no to affirmative action for boys in college.

luckydawg said...
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luckydawg said...

I don't think that colleges should accept more male applications than females just to make a 50/50 ratio. It's sexist, woman can't help it if they seem to graduate more than males and have less of a drop out rate. I don't think it really matters if you go to a college with 60 percent females, that would be just a bonus to going to such a college. That just means the guys can be more picky with whoever they date from the college. It might end up being a problem in the future if woman don't date guys unless they have the same degree as them. Woman need to lower their standards and just marry someone beneath them and be happy. I'm sure most woman are making more money than their spouse nowadays anyways.

NaniShauna said...

I think that it is absolutely rediculous. If girls make better grades than guys, so what? Why would anyone want to "punish" girls for getting better grades by not letting us into college?! I don't believe that it would make a huge difference anyways. No matter if you are male or female, everyone should work hard in school and get the grades that they deserve. "Affirmative Action" for gender balance is rediculous. Everyone should be treated equally and fairly based on what they deserve. That is what standardized tests are for. To test what each person is capable of doing and achieving. Why punish the ones that get good grades and actually put forth an effort? Bottom line is, if you make the effort then you should be able to get into college regardless of statistics, gender or any other nonsense.

ianschmidt said...

I think it’s great that more women are graduating from college than men. This may prove that equal rights are becoming equal. My wife has told me for many years that women are smarter than men and she is always right:) Is this a backlash from suppression of the power of women? If this is the case I would welcome a matriarchal society (not Hillary) if you ladies could make a power grab. It seems that the world is always been in a sad state of affairs in the hands of men. Then we could make something other than war

Anonymous said...

There was an interesting comment made about building dams. We have built dams, believing we were doing the best thing. Only to find out later that we have created a more serious problem - consider Florida and Georgia's battle over water rights!
Have we created another serious problem with Affirmative Action? We have so many 'quotas' to meet - these many whites, these many blacks, these many hispanics, etc. Now we will begin to have these many men and these many women.
It seems we always try to 'cure' things by going into the back door to fix things. Why don't we find out WHY the men aren't coming to college and fix that instead?
Or perhaps we should allow the problem fix itself. It seems to me that most men would get very tired of being alone. If their women go off to school and leave them alone long enough, maybe they will get the hint and go to school themselves!
Sound like a ridiculous solution?
So does 'fixing' this gender gap!

cesca23 said...

The gender gap is surprisingbut I don't believe it is that big of a deal. It definitely should not effect the application process for collages and should be based on their profile and what they have accomplished. Back to the article it stated that women ususally date or marry with similar backgrounds in education which I don't think has to be the way. For example, I am with someone with a high school diploma and no college but I have an A.A. degree. He is becoming a cop and it is not a requirement but would definitely increase his pay. Then I have other friends who did not go to college but then they pursued licenses such as real estate, mortgage broker, life, health and annuities, and etc. These people make the same or even more of those who do not have a degree and think that it is based more of how much you make and if similar to your partner somewhat.

solitaryxsiren said...

I oppose the idea of turning away better qualified females just to balance the genders. In no such situation would it be okay to turn away someone who has worked for and deserves acceptance to a college. If more females than males are getting education, so be it. One day we'll run the world, and that will be one of the most interesting chapters in the history books!

As far as who to date...that is just not important enough of a factor to play into this discussion. In my eyes, that's a completely different subject. It's possible that men are starting to lessen their efforts of becoming a support system due to the increase in educated women.

Ralsgal said...

I believe that the enrollement in colleges comes in cycles. Yes the male population has dropped, but look at what is going on in the world today. Im sure there are good explanations for this drop and we shouldnt be as concerned as everyone seems to be. To be concerned that there won't be enough people to date or marry is absurd to me. First off if you are a female and going to college to find a mate, the chances of you graduating do not seem that high to me because your priorities are wrong. To turn down girls or women because of their sex is a crazy idea, and not a fair one. Let society and education implement programs in school to keep kids in school and college but don't do it unfairly. Who ever works the hardest are the one's who deserve to be there, not because of sex,age,race etc. The the best man/woman win.

Nilo said...

This is so unfair. It doesn't matter if the rates of male students are going down. Twenty years ago it was the other way around and my question is: Did they do the same thing? Did they treated women with privileges so they would enroll and stay on school? Males and females should be treated equally. I think one of the reasons why men are not enrolling and staying in college may be because unwanted pregnancies, men all of the sudden need to be responsible for a family and get a full time job, meanwhile the females stay at home and have the opportunity of getting an education for themselves so their family life can improve. This is just my opinion for a possible reason for this problem. Women have worked hard all their lives to be treated with the same respect and consideration as men. It has been very difficult for women to be treated equally in their carers, so I don't agree with this.

DenverBroncos8 said...

Gender should not play a factor in whether or not someone gets accepted into a university. That should soley be based on previous grades either from high school or their college they're transfering from. It would not be fair or acceptable for a woman who works harder than a man to not get accepted soley based on being a woman. If the gender gap is that far off then it just shows in todays society that men are either lazy or do not feel the need to get a good education which is why they should not be accepted over a harder working female. College is all about bettering yourself and if you do not do the required steps to get there than you obviously don't deserve it.

ghandi G said...

i do no agree with the whole gender thing. I don't believe that that girls are getting more accepted over men when applying for a job. Really it should come down to whoever is more capable of doing a better job for the job he or her is appyling to. If i applied for a job and a girl got it over me, i would not be upset because a girl got it over me because she was probably a better fit for the job than me. I hate it when guys cry about not getting the job because if you did not get it just means there was someone else who did better than you and you just have to work harder the next time you apply for a job.

kennyg said...

I feel boys drop out of school or make it college and dont graduate because their mind is somewhere esle. Most boys minds is on making fast money and they dont want to wait and go to school for four years to get a degree o make quicker money. They just want to get out of school and start making money right then and there. A lot of boys dont like school so they take another route out but that isnt the best route for them. Or boys get a high school education and dont go to college but they do get a steady job that brings home a good pay. Girls on the other hand go through high school and college because we want to make money to but not as fast as boys we can on our money we rather get a degree that comes with a good job to make money. And a lot of girls would date a guy with no college degree but if they have a good steady job with a good income then yes they have a good chance with the girl. It all really depends on the person and some what of the eduation because if you judge by the education a lot of people wouldn't be together.

Athena Smith said...

I believe mnany teachers would agree with Kennyg about the reasons why boys are dropping out.

Britt said...

Perhaps back in the days when women were first allowed to go to college with men, getting an MRS. was the most important objective to some of them. However, I personally feel that today women, who intend to go to college, complete a bachelor’s degree, and possibly move onto a major’s degree, are not out trolling for a spouse. Yes, it seems likely that you’d marry someone you meet in college because that is where most students spend a large amount of time. There seems to be a new trend on the rise, the trend being working full time and going to school full time. With both school and work as a place to meet someone the odds of finding a spouse increase. Even more so when you consider that a student has friends also going to school and working, that more than triples the number of people one could meet compared to the early days of trust-fund babies going to school, living only on campus, and socializing strictly with classmates. Education levels are certainly a requirement for most young ladies, but who’s to say that a student couldn’t meet someone from a different school a few years after graduating. Getting married later in life is also a rising trend that should be considered. It counters the reasoning as to why women are discriminated against when they apply to the colleges of their choice.

Go Bucs said...

In my opinion I think there is a reason why females couldn't get into college. What ever goes around comes around and that is what is happening around the world. Now it is just the guys turn. I think it is not fair in a gender gap and it is not their own fault, that many males are not going to college we cant control that. The affirmative action is just going to balance everything out again and it will be good for everyone. I am guessing it will be bad for some people but it will happen anyway in the near future. I think soon it will happen again but fare. I am glad that many females are getting accepted into college but i would have to see some negative feedback or evidence to see if this is bad for having to many girls in college.

Sandy6 said...

This is what we are wasting our intelligence on? If girls want a guy that is on their intelligence level then persuade them to go to school or get a guy from their school. As you can tell this topic is absolutely ridiculous to me. But this is definitely unfair to the female sex, we are to be denied acceptance because not enough males are attending their colleges? Then tell the colleges to find a way to get guys in school, however they do it. Or, even better, get parents to realize the importance of a degree and encourage ambition in their sons.

CoCo85 said...

Females are already faced with hitting a glass ceiling and making an approximately 76 cents to the dollar compared to that of a male. If we allow or tolerate colleges skewing or doing an admissions application based on gender we are continuing to compound the problem. While there may be an increase in percentage of female colleges’ attendee and graduates this is not meant to be the primary source of finding a significant other. Are we losing sight of the purpose of a higher education? We as females are already faced with numerous barriers in the work place. To add an additional barrier of college placement is discriminatory in nature which makes it even more difficult for a female to prove herself in the working industry.

Unknown said...

I completely disragee with that whole closing the gender gap issue because it is definitely not fair to the girls' that are doing their best to achieve and strive further on their career paths to a better life, and the males do not want to do anything about it. I do not believe that it is fair because it is not the girls' fault that the males do not want to do anything to further themselves in their lives, so why should the women have to pay for it? It makes no sense, men and women should be equal and be accepted into schools based on what they have achieved not what the statistics of men and women are, or the fact that women are more common, that is ridiculous. Men and women should be equal, and recognized for what they have accomplished to get this far in their lives'.

DaLi said...

I think that passing over more qualified female students for college placement, for lesser qualified male students, is ridiculous! Besides, discrimination is illegal…how will the statistics look on the colleges who do this when there degree completion rates decrease. Maybe the problem is, since women already earn less money than men, women have learned that in order for us to make wages equal to a male’s wages females have to get a college degree. Where as a man can get a job making decent money without a degree. I do know that male nurses make more than their female counterparts, because they are trying to entice men into nursing. I think that a few good public law suits would create a feeding frenzy on colleges that were proven to practice this art of discrimination to the point that few colleges would even consider behaving like this.

NotOfThisWorld said...

Rejecting women applicants would not close the gender gap in schools. Statistics shown that more men drop out than women, so it would be the same gap just fewer students. I believe that more men drop out of college because of the need to work and provide for his family. Men are dropping the bar as far as hooking up with uneducated women then get pulled out of school to provide. On the other hand, in my personal experience, women live at home and wait on that special person; not lowering the bar gives the women more time to finish college. Therefore, "Affirmative Action" would not solve the gender gap, but cause more problems with fewer students enrolled, less educated people, and fewer graduates.

*(Stefany)* said...

I don't think your gender should play a role when you are applying to a college! That's ridiculous. Whether you are accepted to college should be based on your hard work. If girls are found to be smarter than boys than oh well! Let it be. Now, back to the whole Mary and Mary thing, that is not true. If a girl is looking for a boy she will find him, in school, the park, a restaurant, etc. It does not have to be in college. If a girl wants to be with another Mary, than that is a different story, it does not have to do with the fact that there is more girls than boys in their college.

bsolomon3 said...

Wow is this ridiculous or what? So turn down those girls that worked all their school career because its a bad ratio according to society? That's crazy. Why don't these boys put in as much effort and not just the girls, but as everyone. Not all boys drop out and if I were a guy, I would be kind of offended by this. Its simple, do your work and study, and anyone, not just girls, can pass and graduate.

BabyBri22 said...

I do understand what the institution is saying about how it should be eqaully ballanced in the school I also think that it is not fair to those women that have worked as hard as they can to be shut out because a male application came along. I believe that if males want to be granted admission, they should work just as hard as anyone elso who is qualified. Going to school isnt about how many boys or girls are in my class. There is a college experience that people want to have when they go to a coed college but if that was the main focus whats the point of putting education first. I think this action is rediculous and i dont care what statistics say but if your qualified then you are and if your not i guess you better work alot harder whether your male or female.

yankeegurl611 said...

I STRONGLY oppose the "Affirmative Action" to bridge the gap! If guys aren't stepping up to the plate and realizing or even taking advantage of educational opportunities, that's on them. I understand that schools want a significant student body populated with males and females, but if it's not happening, too bad.

!SmAshleyBaxterBaby! said...

I think it should strictly be performance and grades. How can u favor an application because it is a male applicant instead of a female. It ruins the chance of the woman who is better qualified to work towards a better future. Process this theory for a minute, just because you accept more males into a school doesnt mean more men are goin to stay in highschool or that they wont later drop out. A reversal in this problem could occur. If woman dont think they have an equal opportunity to get into college they might not apply to as many places. Women have fought for there rights to be equal to men to now possibly be disposed of because men are not keeping up. What will it seriously change other than letting guys know they have the easy way out, or in. The only alternative would be to provide assistance to help keep kids in school and prepare them for college but not just one gender.

ijoz said...

The truth of the matter is that girls are smarter then boys. This afct has been proven time and time agian, girls mature faster mentally thus giving them the upper hand when it comes to school. Although ths is the case boys, men, males unfortunately now a days have there minds in other places like cars, gaming, fornication and ultimately this is what is bringing us under women.

"Affirmative Action" would only be harming the individuals who are excepted only because of their gender. its almost like saying hey if you score low on the SAT or ACT but are a male its ok cuz the college wiill let you in. But wait collogese and universities across the country do that anyways with athletes, and people of different races instead of letting in those tat deserve it; the ones that bust their asses off for 12 years and dont get sh#@. America is so ass backwards that honestly I can care less what they do cuz my voice doesn't mean jack.

anonsyg said...

I feel that no action should be taken to make it "easier" for males to attend. But i also feel the same for any group racial, ethnic, or otherwise. The problem is that why should those groups be more openly accepted in some circumstances because of race or ethnicticity? In my eyes that is just as bad as if males were accepted over better suited females. Another thing is what about ethnic males? Lets for example say a latin male is accepted over a white female for the simple fact of balancing out ethnic groups in school, how is that any more fair?

Brit =] said...

I don't agree with turning down female applicants simply because there arent enough males, or because males have a higher tendency to drop out. That isn't the females problems. So not accepting someone who may be more qualified or has worked harder simpley based upon there gender is completly unfair! I feel the "Affirmative Action" used to slove the probelm of balancing out males throughout the school system is only going to create an even larger problem. Why strive to do a good job to get accepted somewhere when its a possibility you may get turned down simply because your female? Thats redicioulous.

tori said...

that is unfair on sooo many levels. it is probably true that women are alot more successful then men.. i mean im not 100% sure but i would probably put money on it. the majority of men are going for the manual labor and the women are getting more of the desk jobs. a long time agowe had to fight for the right to vote and now we can and we have come quite a ways since then and it just would not be right to do that to women. if it were me and i was told i count get into college because there werent enough guys going to college that would really get under my skin!!!!!

Wan said...

In my opinion I believe that gender should not have any effect on who gets accepted into a specific college. In my opinion that’s a form of segregation. I also think that if we are not going to use gender guidelines for college that we should not use gender or race for making quotas for jobs as well. A lot of jobs out there have to have a certain amount of people that are minorities, male and female and I believe that the best qualified should go the job. In America they teach us not to segregate, so our society needs to remove the minority and gender sections out of college.

wissam said...

For me this topic it doesn’t give us too much space to talk, because it’s a limit topic, but I liked. In my opinion the man is equal the girl in the most of the stuff, but sometime the story is different man has more muscles than the women so that’s why the man can do more hand work than women. But about school it is totally different story the one study more should get accepted from the university not because the gender if male or female. For me I don’t like to let the male or female go to university because the gender this is not fair for both whom is more education and study more this one who just get should accept from the university.

Sickabyss said...

Im a smart guy so I dont care. should we turn down girls? No, thats a cruel and stupid decsion that will cause an untold amount of chaos and protest. Man is a lazy being but if you really try you might do good. My first half of high school I didnt make the best grades in the world but the latter half I became serious and studied and tried hard to succeed, and I did succeed. To answer the question should they close the gap? NO!!! Its completely unfair to the girls who try and study hard.

Artimid said...

Found a bookmark with this site, and forgot what it was, heh.

I think the people saying that "Guys need to step up their game" or "Girls always work harder than men" should take a look at the scholarship offers. When I went to look for scholarships, most that I found being offered where for "Minorities and females" - Guess where that left me? I skipped a semester due to not having the money. If I couldn't have gotten the money, I would have skipped more semesters until it was pointless to even restart.

There are always reasons for things happening, and people need to get off their "This isn't fair for women" soap box, and look at facts such as "Where is our money coming from?" since money is what puts you in school. One side of our society has it, and the other side is busy earning it while the other is in school.

*Not always, and I apologise if this seems fairly rude, but I haven't seen such onesideness in a long time. I would expect college students to consider other factors before just thinking it was the college trying to help their fellow -boys-. You are students of higher education, and you need to look at things from various angles before ripping people apart.

***Pre-Med Chick*** said...

I think that is totally unfair. & it doesn't even have to do with which gender group is the smartest. It's about working hard, & applying yourself so that being accepted into that school is based on how well your academic preferences are, not whether or not you’re a girl or boy. I completely DISAGREE with this "Affirmative Action" mess; why should the girls have to bust their butts making sure the grades & extracurricular activities are on point just to be rejected by a college because the percentage of boys is to low, who ever said that was right? If you really want to help the guys why not start with their grades & doing whatever it takes academically for them to succeed instead of just handing them the easy way out. This why when they do finally get to college they would actually know how to handle it, instead of thinking everything’s down the easy street just because their male.

Lil Bitty said...

Like seriously? Guys are really getting this upset about not being in college? First off, grow some balls and work harder to get your butts into college. Women were persistant in their attempt to do anything that the guys were only allowed to do so now that us women get into college more often then men we need to be denied acceptance? Have fun trying to get any state to pass a law that states, "If one of your state's colleges is lacking men, you must deny women acceptance even if they have higher grades. The article says that their concern is to provide husbands for the future wives attending colleges, but who cares and if there are less men going to college wouldn't that mean there would be more "girl-on-girl" action, and what guy is going to complain about that? Sarcastically speaking. But seriously there are way more important subjects to be discussed rather than gender balancing because a few guys left their manhood back at home.

Qasem said...

It all depends on a persons decisions on how they want to live their lives. I do not believe this action is fair. Why shoould us women work harder just because the men are being lazy. As the article said, people do not date anyone lower then them." If the person is educated then they would want to also date someone educated. I do think this statement is true. From the studies, not all women will have that perfect someone in their life. We just have to face reality and not make it easier for the men.

Honey said...

Obviously the issue can have negative consequential affects, in which it must be addressed. I definitely do not agree with the indicated resolution to the problem. There must be a way to encourage and or enable male students to attend colleges without hindering the acceptance of female students. I think that declining female applicants in order to balance the numbers of male students is absurd. Surely colleges can find a more proactive solution without being unfair to the other students. As far as coupling is concerned, I really don't feel it would have a major impact on relationships as most guys tend to date more than one partner anyways!!!

KSVL2404 said...

Wow, Didn't know that was even occuring, GO GIRLS!!!, However I do not think its fair to simply deny better qualified females over males that just barely make it in to fill in the gap. College is for people who worked to get there as well as who want to be there. It's not fair to girls who worked their butts off denied acceptance to a boy just because more girls are in the system. JUST NOT FAIR!!!!

Styefn89 said...

The person with the better qualifications should be the one to get accepted into college - hands down. Special exceptions should not be made in order to "balance" the population of students. Even if there are more women on campus than men, I don't see the problem. Aren't students able to get to know people (and find a mate) outside of school (at their job, in community service, church, Starbucks, etc.)?

People can deal with their own social lives; I don’t see any reason why school boards need to get involved. Besides, not all girls want a guy who is just like them. I know plenty of intelligent, educated women who have fallen in love with guys who work on cars for a living (and have little to no formal education).

Lester said...

If a woman is willing to take a stronger intiative and work harder then a man, then she should be rewarded accordingly. It's not our fault if men decide they want to get a job instead of going to school or are just lazy. We should not have to work harder in an already fiercly competitive field when a man will be granted easier access because he fills a ratio. College is supposed to be education that you gain yourself and it takes self determination and dedication to go. Allowing more men into college is not solving the initial problem...that fewer men are applying period. Shouldn't we be trying to find a way to boost male applicants and attendance? This is where our forces should be focused.

Anonymous said...

I agree with nomad, we have so many other important things to worry about. Why are we so concerned with this 'affirmative action'?? What about the people in African suffering from HIV/AIDS, or people in third world countries who don't even know what a school looks like or what about here in the United States,so many homeless people? Or the recession that were in with people losing their jobs and health insurance. People should work hard for what they want, and they should appreciate what they have. From reading this article, it just sounds like men have become lazy and given up on themselves. Women are tired of relying on them, so they are becoming independent.

Athena Smith said...

Alright, think ahead. You live in a society where two thirds of the women have college degrees and one third of men do.
Joking aside, how willing would women be to marry a man of lesser education and means? Don't cite personal examples, look at the trends. And the trends tell us that we look for partners that resemble us.
And how would men feel if they married a woman of better education and means? Would they be fine with it in the long run? Or would they soon divorce?
And if the divorce rate goes up, what else goes up? You guessed it. Poverty. And crime rates.
Now, let's look at our crime statistics. The majority of the perpetrators are male and poor. What will happen if that pool expands?

Nothing is social life is black or white.

fireangel said...

My thoughts on this subject are that, this is not right. Plain and simple. People are getting scholarships for little to nothing of what they are actually working for. You can get a scholarship, because you are an African American, male, Asian, ect., and none of it really makes a difference! If you’re handicapped I can understand to an extent of getting more money than the regular student- they can’t work as easily as other normal functioning students can. But they must keep up their grades and GPA’S if they want to keep that scholarship. You have to work hard for what you want. If you get it just because you were born that way, then no wonder so many are dropping out. They are not ready to fight for what they want like the people who worked very hard to get a scholarship (or who deserve a scholarship) then what makes you think that they will stay in school long enough to get a degree in most cases? So, the graduation and collage numbers of male and female are not equal. Does this shock you? I might get hit for this, but what do you think was going to happen when women started becoming feminists? Women rebelled and pushed men aside and said, “I can be just as good as you are if not better. Here, let me show you.” Women even though we are capable, are not suppose to be in the work place. Our work place is in the home with kids. When women rebelled, the men said, “Fine, we don’t want to work hard. You want to, go ahead be my guest. I’ll be in front of the T.V.” And you wonder how or why the U.S. is so messed up. God did not make us to be the way that we are right now. He knew it was going to happen, but He did not design it to be this way. I have heard countless stories about this subject. Women who were tired of being the main income of money for the house and finally fed up with the issue and said either, “We need to get a divorce”, or “We need to get counseling help.” One couple did get help and they told their story to the councilor. The wife said, “Why is life so hard? I’m bringing home the income, making the meals, taking care of the house and kids, and my husband does little to nothing. Tell us what to do.” The councilor looked at the man and said, “Your main problem is that, you don’t make a good wife.” Genders are switching, and it’s not right. People want men to be softer, more feminine (men don’t have a feminine side, or they shouldn’t) and people want women to be tougher (“Go out in to the world and use anything and everything you have to get ahead). No, it’s not right that people are getting shoved aside for things they have worked hard for, but we (as a majority) have all done it. Does that make it right? Not at all, but is it a goal that we need to set our eyes on? Absolutely.

Master Mo said...

I think this isn't fair to girls. First, I think it's not worth talking about. In my opinion more females are qualified to be in college. This shouldn't be about gender. It about who win the acception. This just shows that women will always be treated unfairly. It sad because women went through alot just to college. I think this "Affimative action" will not make difference. In my opinion I think most of these men that go to these schools are athletes who barely make it in.

IndianGoddess6922 said...

I am in utter abhor of the affirmative action to close the gender gap that is translated into turning down female applicants with better qualifications than males that are not nearly as qualified. We did not have such an affirmative action when the women were falling behind and the enrollment rates for men were significantly higher. Did anyone ever consider this option when the women were being outnumbered by men in the Colleges and Universities?

I might be ignorant in my comment about this topic, but if women are now in such a situation in which they are achieving greater academic achievements, these women should not be held back by a denied College or University application. If the men are not at the same academic level as women, then the women should not have to be affected by these results. I completely agree with Stephen Farmer, the academic application and acceptance process should be utterly blind towards gender. I strongly believe that our society should look at this rapidly growing problem in a different perspective. If males are falling behind academically, then what are we really doing as individuals or collectively to solve this problem?

If an individual is truly dedicated to accomplishing their academic goals, they should not be really focused on what the male to female ratio is but as to the credentials of the College or University of their desires. I personally am striving to achieve my goal of attending Harvard Medical School, regardless of the social factors like the male to female ratio. Initiating the affirmative action does not resolve this serious problem but it merely tries to cover up the fact that females are quickly accelerating academically and are not going to slow down anytime in the near future.

Unknown said...

I feel taking "Affirmative Action" for men is not fair. I also believe that the application process should not bend for gender. It should be based solely on qualifications, not gender.

Both men and women work hard to be accepted into universities. How unfair would that be for a man to be accepted solely on gender. How about those years when men out numbered women? It didn't seem to be a big issue and I doubt that they ever accepted women applicants with lower educational status just to "balance" things out.

Good things do not come easy, so work hard and don't look for an easy way out.

dr123 said...

The best man/woman for the job is what I say...why get the education or the skills needed to perform a function just to be told that, even though you are more qualified than "applicant b", a quota needs to be met? I realize that life is nowhere close to being fair, but does this apply? As a classmate put it, do you hire the firefighter who is incapable of carrying the necessary equipment up a flight of stairs to save a life just because of their gender? This doesnt make a lot of sense. Each job has its function and if that function cannot be met, then their shouldnt be any question about #s or quotas...

nmartinez1514 said...

I do not believe that affirmative action should be taken to "help" out male students. I think the educational system is failing somewhere prior to the college setting. We need to stress the importance of an education much sooner than lets say high school. A lot of male students for example want to take a break before going to college and that turns out bad and other reasons as well. The parents also need to stress and help the males students out in their endeavour for higher education. So I believe in the end that through the education system before college we can start pushing more males into college.

flyfromtheinside said...

to me this is just crazy. it shouldnt matter what percentage of guys and girls get into college. if you worked hard and got into a college thats great but who cares what gender you are. and if there is more girls than guys at the college it might be a problem to some girls but who said we had to find someone to date at a college? maybe along the years when we're working at our future jobs we'll meet a guy there. theres no rush to find a guy to date when we should be focusing on our future and doing make sure we are doing good in all our classes. however i have noticed a sortage of guys at HCC but i still had no problem meeting a few guys who seem intrested.

BethK0119 said...

I have to say that I think the idea that people won’t come to their college if the balance is out of whack is silly! I really don’t care who is around me in college. I didn’t come to find a mate, and if I don’t find a mate to marry is that such a bad thing? Who says that all of us women have to get married and have kids? Perhaps our focus is changing?

It is not a fair plan to let less qualified men into a slot that a more qualified woman could fill in a college simply to continue to sell their school to other potential students. It seems to me that this is their thought process. That students won’t select their school because there are too many women.

CON_to-the_WAY said...

Why would you hire men that aren't qualified for a job over women that are, just because there is a gender gap? This doesn't make any sense. There are plenty of jobs where men are more present then women. Policing,Construction,Firefighting, automotive mechanics, etc. I don't feel that this is fair, because women fought for their rights in the past, and it was mostly men who gave us those rights. All of a sudden, because women happen to be appearing in the work force more then men, we have to do something to even it out? This is ridiculous. This affirmative action is only making "equal rights" seem unequal once again. It was probably a group of men who were upset because they were rejected from getting a job, and a woman got the position. They got together and said, "Well, this is ludicrous. Women are overpopulating us now, so we must do something about it". What guys! Are you losing confidence and the idea of equality because women actually work harder than you?

Xx Human Rights xX said...

It is always hard to hear about a group being targeted because of their race, religion, sex, status, class, etc. In a perfect world, it would be simple to say that such policies have no place in our society. Unfortunately we do not live in a perfect world, and sometimes, affirmative action does society the greater good. In this specific example, I feel that there is a better way than holding women back. They should instead, focus on the boys and look into and attack the reasons they are being left behind. On the other hand, I wouldn't mind there being a surplus of college educated women to fall back on. I don't mind being a stay at home husband :)

jeremyhxc said...

Okay well im going to answer this in my opinion as a boyfriend for my smart successful girlfriend. I do agree that more men are somewhat less likely to succeed, BUT honestly I think women who study hard and work hard in school deserve a better future. Us guys.. well in MY opinion we tend to work harder in jobs and relax outside of our career. I for one give props to the hard working women that also have a full time job, while studying in school. We have the same education for both male and females, but really I feel that women work harder in studying for school and whatnot. On the other hand us men would work harder at work because we have more option in our job opportunities i.e construction, stocking, retail, etc etc. I'm not tending to be sexist when I say that men have more opportunities in jobs, but women are more likely to succeed in educational wise. Thats just how I feel when it comes to me and my girlfriend. I mean I work my butt off school and my job, but my girlfriend is one step up when it comes to education and school. Thats sad for me to say but its the truth haha.

lubna said...

I just want to say that after I read this article why women have to suffered and punished because men dropping out from schools and colleges. Most women work very hard than men so, women should deserve what they earn. I think, it would be very unfair with women if the institutes and colleges turn down their applicatons to balanced the gender gap.I believe they should consider who are more qualified regardless to gender gap. If guys are not paying attention to their education thats not girls fault just turning down the womens' applications is not going to slove the problem.

Unknown said...

I believe that there is not a need to panic on this idea anytime soon. Yes there are definite differences in the sizes of the two genders, but that to me is something nature will work out on its own. To me history has shown that as inequalities arise people have been shown to react positively and negatively, but a reaction regardless and men will eventually see school as necessary as before. Perhaps even due to their ego of falling behind the females, but I really do not believe the differences in the amount will get severe. Even 58% versus 42% is not a bad ratio because as much as we would love everything to be equal life is not that kind. Many men take school less serious in my opinion because it is not “cool”, or are simply too lazy to overachieve. This is a general statement, but in addition to that women seem more committed to not only having more, but also proving themselves worthy. We as a nation have come very far in terms of gender inequality

wolfgram25 said...

In my opinion, girls shouldn’t be punished for a man’s lack of interest in furthering their education. I think it’s good that women are interested in going out and bettering themselves and contributing to the family income. They shouldn’t have to sit at home and cook and clean. Women have the same rights as men to get a higher education and bring in money for their family. I don’t think women go to college to find a husband; they go to college to earn a degree and get a job. If guys don’t want to go to college that’s fine, let them make a quick buck and worry about it later. Women are more long term mind oriented and are focused on long term goals. They will not be attracted to a man who they don’t think will support them and a family in the long run. Girls want a stable man when they are getting older and looking for someone to marry. Keeping the female to male ratio equal is uncalled for; I think college applications shouldn’t even ask your gender or race.

Ms.Krissy said...

Affirmative Action for men to me really would not make much of a difference in the school systems now. Men have and always will be intimidated by women because they have a higher success rate. Yes I can say we women definitely look for men with an education but personally I believe that education isn't for everyone but I do strongly believe in getting and finding a job. Most of these men do not have father figures in their life so therefore they feel as if they have to be the bread winner for the family so school becomes secondary to them at this point. So trying to bring affirmative action to men really would not make a difference at this time in life.

lynk26 said...

This really isn't a helpful idea for the women students who are working hard to get into college and finish with a bachelor's degree. If you think about it, any kind of affirmative action is discrimination of sorts. Preferring one group of people over the other doesn't make the group work any harder. What needs to be addressed is why men are dropping out of college and high school, and to go from there. Maybe it's because women nowadays hold a lot of power in society, so men think all they need to do is find a woman who gets paid well enough to take care of them. Maybe it's because men are becoming increasingly impatient or stupid. Gender affirmative action is not going to help anything get accomplished.

Sabrina said...

Personally, I won't loose any sleep over this topic. I strongly oppose affirmative action in order to close the gender gap'Why is it so much of an issue , is it because more and more women are seeking higher level of education and thus they can be perceived as a threat and compete for traditionally male dominated jobs in the workforce.I feel that highly qualified women should not be treated unfairly and rejected in order to maintain gender balance

China said...

I don’t agree with the Affirmation Action. I personally feel that the girls are being punished for the boys’ lack of interest. From my understanding a person is to be treated equally and if this goes on, out the window goes the word “equally”.
The women have done there part and earned there education, so the guys should step up and work harder and do the same. It seems as if the guys have a hand out and the girls have to work hard, which is not fair. I know it is not all guys, but I feel that this is a waist of the tax payer’s money.

Jn2 said...

I don't stand for the fact that men have to be favoured when it comes to academic.That is i'm against affirmative action.Thats discrimination and this form of discrimination can only bring more problems to the society. Being accepted to a university is a reward for working and studying hard throughout high school or even to achieve educational goals.Take for example,in the United State,admission into a university is based on merit.Every body is equal. Schools can’t start admitting men more than women just because they wanna close the gap between males and female.Thats not right.Thus i personally beleive admission into a college or university should be based on merit not about gender(Affirmative action).

lyn said...

I think its unfair to girls. They guys are dropping out because its there choice just as its the girls choice to stay in school and finish. Why should they punish the girls for working hard and award the boys when they are giving up. Besides it probably wont help as much because most boys at least the some that i know believe they can do better without going for a higher education and they some are doing well. While the girls think they need the higher education to do well and for some or most it is true they do, do better, when they have the higher education.

skywritter54 said...

First of all I am extremely opposed to affirmative action in allowing under qualified men in college just to have an equal number of men vs women.

People go to college to learn more. To prepare themselves for a career. To better their circumstances.

Now how do people get into college? What are the qualifications. People get accepted to colleges due to how qualified they are. Granted, there has been affirmative action for certain people in the past.

They have been accepted to colleges even thought they might not have had the exact qualifications required. This may seen one sided but these people have gone to colleges and worked hard to graduate.

There is an unequal ratio of men vs women now because the women have realized that to get to male dominated careers, they have to be, not just as qualified as a male, they had to be better qualified than their male counterpart

I agree with nearly all of the posts, but there was one post that I though hit the nail right on the head. That persons post was right on target.
It said that “if guys are bitching about not being accepted over girls, then they need to work harder” and that's exactly how I feel about this subject.

The only additional comment I can add is that what happens next?

Will they give affirmative action’s to people who are big?

Will they give try to even out the number of those with blue eyes to those with brown?

What about the short people vs the tall ones.
Like other posts said, if they don’t have the exact ratio of men to women, then the men should be prepared and qualified as well as the women.

ABroWnie said...

this doesnt seem fair. Affirmative action to balance gender ratio in college wouldnt change much. Sure their would be more men in college, but if they dont apply themselves, then accepting them wont make them apply more effort later. You put men with lower education in college, then women that wont lower their expectations wont date men at their level still. Just accepting them wont change that argument. Plus women are pretty picky. Bottom line, you reward people for their good efforts and achievements. If a school will be 70/30 women up, then so be it. If its bad for society, then we are all at fault, because we all work together as a society. One can help another achieve. Maybe the women will start wearing the pants in the near future.

Nurse73 said...

Gender should not play a major role in education and meeting criterias. Both sexes should be viewed upon as equal and not discriminated or given preferential treatment. Hard work, success, perseverance and motivation are the key elements to a person's status and place in society. Qualification stems from the person's aptitude and productivity not whether they are males or females.

*V@N3* said...

I think that it can’t be forced because it wouldn’t be fair to a very smart female to get neglected a chance at college because they want a man to fill her shoes. They should figure out some other ways of promoting college for men and I think if they did start choosing men over women they would start working or trying less to get into school. They should just leave it alone and stop worrying about how females are going to find a partner or the difference in numbers. I think if you are smart and work hard to get to college you should be allowed to be accepted.

TeXasLuV said...

I beleive males should be ashamed that in this day and time their affiliaction in education is down the drain. If more women are applying to school its because they are seeking I higher education. Men shouldent be complaining or blame it on nobody but themselves. If they really want to strive for excellence they need to fight for it, not be granted permission to attend a university because they are attempting to admitt ass many men as women. It is honestly rediculous that this is an issue.

RPWolf said...

HIgher educational institutions do look at "race" to determine who gets accepted, so I see no issue with doing the same with gender. BUT, If they do decide to adopted those kinds of actions everywhere, they should still make it to where females have a bias to get accepted into colleges and universities; after all they are, according to this article, more inclined to finish and are smarter.

For you people arguing for equality, its all relative to the persons view. an african american trying to get ahead will think its good and just to have help to achieve goals of finishing college but a white person will say its unfair because he/she does not have as many opportunities. So what this comes down to is that the smart prevail and the weak sink. Women will just end up marrying people outside of their "race" and thats ok unless you are racist.

Incandescent26 said...

I think that Affirmative action is BS. Universities should accept applicants based on their qualifications. Who cares if it's a man or a woman. If a woman can't find a date on campus, why should that be the universities problem? Eventually someone will want to marry and have kids with you. I feel bad for the woman who care more about there being enough eligable bachlors on campus; then about their education. Lets get really it shouldn't even be an issue. Schools should just worry about grades.

Alex370000 said...

Being a guy my answer may be different from a girls perspective. I don't see what education has to finding a partner. I understand nobody wants a bum, and a school reinsures a good future with that person but its not every way to find someone. My girlfriend doesn't attend my school. She is actually a 100 miles away. We didnt meet at a school even or anything educational. We met at my work.

omaya said...

In my opinion, this is such a silly subject. I mean there are far more serious things occuring right now then balancing these gender ratios in school.I see it this way,Who ever works harder deserves scolarships, recognition and benefits for being a good student. As simple as that! Those who work harder in GENERAL, deserve way more than those who don't do anything at all. Think of it in this way,Being lazy and sitting at home doing nothing is a choice so why would anybody want to turn down applications of hard working female students? It just doesn't make any sense to me.

Get-Me-A-RedBull said...

I personally think that gender should be taken into consideration a little just to keep things in balance. The truth of the matter is that if you’re more qualified then your chances of getting in to a good school are higher whether you’re a male or female. I’m speaking for the guys stop being lazy and START studying. I can’t speak for these drop out rates but if the schools are just accepting men just for the heck of it over obviously more qualified women then I could see the unfairness.

Nadia said...

I don't think it is fair to the girls. Its not our faults that we do the work and get into colleges more than men. I feel that anyone can do anythng they want to as long as they put the time and effort into it, reguard less of weather there male or female. Colleges should not turn down girls just because there are too many girls and not enough boys.

If girls are going to work hard and guys are not then thats their problem. If they want to get into college then they should actually try to do the work. Your always told to do your best and secceed because the better you do the more opportunities you have. So girls are going to be punished for being smart? Its not our faults at all and colleges shouldn't even have to bring this up as a issue.

TOOTIE said...

Affirmative action to close the gender gap is translated into turning down female applicants with better qualifications than males. Some consider it a necessary reaction of a society addressing disparities. Others are fiercely opposing it. Your thoughts?

I don’t agree with “Affirmative action” in accepting men over women in college to bridge a gap in the ratio with men and women. I feel it’s women’s time anyway to shine in unexpected areas as the business and corporate world as a result in more educated women at hand. I cant begin to list the men I know on in college who got accepted for sports in not grads as I works hard to be accepted in the same school because I wasn’t an athlete. So why anyone should feel bad. Men need to step up there game in school before there left single and jobless. A school isn’t for everyone, all I need is a man with a plan and school isn’t the only successful way in life. Let me just touch on the whole ideal about who will women marry now if we won’t so to speak accept less educated men. Personally God know what kind of man is good for me and that’s not always a man with a masters or BA degree .He could have certifications, or own his own business,etc…. but we will be as one so my money will be his and via versa .Money and riches is nothing on this earth , the sooner people accept that the sooner we can find something else more important to blog about

tara said...

Gender will always be somthing to be discussed although it is a complete waste of tim; because the way I see it is anyone with ambition is worth getting recognition weather it being female or male, i think that society should judge based on what the applicant brings to the table and not by what sex they happen to be. People are different for a reason there are things that men can do better than women and and things that women can do better then men. But it shouldn't be somthing blown this much out of proportion.
In conclusion we should try to see just how hard working somone is rather than just look on the outside.

mpierre said...

I think that they should just take who ever is more qualified not what gender. I do not agree to the action of turning down female applicants with better qualifications than males just because there is a gender gap. It is unfair for woman to have to deal with this kind of situation. a lot woman work harder then men. women have been fighting for a long time to gain a place in society. gender should not have any effect on who gets accepted into a specific college or university. It should not be a competition between men and women things should just be fair.

Shane Lawrence said...

A nation addressing disparities? You have got to be kidding me. Sometimes I find it extremely hard to swallow all of the extreme bullshit and liberal reasoning for why the system runs the way that it does. Let me state this very simply for anyone that cannot comprehend reality and what is going on here. You only get to benefit from that which you have rightfully earned. Compensation is a direct result from contribution. It does not matter if the individual in question is male, female, black, white, or orange, the previously mentioned axiom still applies. Balance, disparity, campus crusade for guys. What you have just read in this article is a grievance that the United States has long ignored. They are issues that are in direct contrast to the principals and culture that spawned this country and her greatest achievements. The issues, philosophy, and reasoning that have been presented to us in this article are simply another form of oppression. Oppression, but to whom is it directed do you ask? The astounding answer is not of a specific gender, ethnicity, culture, or religion, who we are repressing, is the largest, and ever growing, minority, the individual. Everyone wants to talk these days about what group deserves what, and which group has the most urgent needs. Well let me tell you that the only thing that is important in the end, is who has contributed the most (freely and with accompanying royalties, recognition, and payment of course) to society. The end result cares not at all what is being bickered about among so called groups. Groups have no rights! Please tell me where in the Constitution it entails or calls for balance, or how we base selection and resource utilization upon affiliation instead of merit and accomplishment! This balance will effectively end with millions of groups all laying claim to the same entitlements and the results will be a mediocre society. No friends, the highest strivers and achievers deserve the first available selections. This is the only way to rightfully lead the rest of the world, with our best and brightest at the helm, not those who “deserve it based upon need, or balance. There is no telling how many competent people have already become discouraged, or even left our country due to such practices. It is time for merit and accomplishment to lead the way once again. As former president Teddy Roosevelt stated in his now famous speech “ there is now room in this country for hyphenated Americanism!” I also think that one of George W. Bush’s most commendable acts as president was to assault affirmative action. Well those are my thoughts and I guess the gender disparity in the end simply means more of a female selection for myself!

jermaine18 said...

Those are very one side numbers that are not in male favor. And is not fair that they would turn down better qualifying females to compensate for the low male graduation rate. But to me that issue is covering the issue of why are males more prone to drop out than their females counter parts? Someone should do some research into that matter. As for affirmative action going into affect it should not matter that more females are doin what they suppose to do. Instead we should find out whats causing males to drop out. I am pretty sure your average females goes through a lot more in life than your average male so their should not be any excuses.