The Lantern

Issue date: 2/12/08 Section: Campus

Not only are more women than ever on college campuses nationwide, but the number of women earning college degrees continues to surpass that of men, according to statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau.

About 33 percent of women aged 25 to 29 had at least a bachelor's degree in 2007, compared with 26 percent of men.

Although there are still more women than men earning degrees from Ohio State, the gender gap is less than the national average.

"Ohio State does not have a huge discrepancy compared to a lot of other places," said Martha Garland, vice provost for enrollment management and dean of undergraduate studies. Garland said OSU's enrollment ratio of males to females is close to 50-50, also a deviation from more disproportionate national figures.

Looking at OSU's six-year graduation rate, 75 percent of females who entered the fall of 2001 had graduated by spring 2007, compared to 67 percent of males. Although the six-year graduation rate has increased across the board during the past five years, the ratio of male to female degree attainment has remained similar.

Garland attributes OSU's relatively low gender disparity in both enrollment and degree attainment to the male-dominated college of engineering.

"We think it's because we have such a good college of engineering which is disproportionately male," Garland said.

"Society shifted to put more emphasis on women's education in the '70s," she said, adding that this was when the gender discrepancy began to evolve.

There are many theories as to why more women than men earn college degrees.

"Nationwide there are scientists and scholars trying to figure it out," Garland said. "Girls always tended to be better students and are able to adapt better to school environments."

Garland said the gender imbalance is a national problem but is not one that OSU is concerned about, focusing instead on programs to improve retention and graduation rates across the board.

The sub-population OSU is most concerned about is black males, who have the lowest graduation rate of any group on campus, Garland said.

"African American males are most at risk," she said, adding that programs run by the Office of Minority Affairs to improve graduation rates for this group have seen successful. The Bell Resource Center on the African-American Male, which Garland said provides black males with social and academic support, has been very successful.

Overall, Garland said she is still concerned.

"I think it's very worrying," she said. "I think it's unfortunate if there is any sub-population that does not have the opportunity to get a college education ... We need men to do well in society and a college education is so important for success."

Briony Clare can be reached at clare.6@osu.edu.

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