The college gender gap shows that women are taking the dominant lead in pursuing a secondary education in comparison with their male counterparts. This college gender gap has taken off since 2000 and now demonstrates that about 57 percent of college students are female.

The college gender gap we see today is quite the opposite of what it was 100 or even 50 years ago. During past decades, women were barely allowed to pursue a higher education through a college or university. Now the majority of students at most colleges and universities throughout the United States belong to the female category. That is not the only college gender gap being seen across college and university campuses in America. Unfortunately, Hispanic men and women as well as black students are less likely to be seen throughout one of these institutions of higher learning. This is a cause for concern that many educators and policymakers are now looking for a solution to help bridge not only the college gender gap but the gap between minority students as well.

Educators are also worried about the lack of male attendance at schools that demonstrates the problem with this college gender gap. However, the numbers of women in college vs. men are staying about the same, and have been since about 2007. Women make up 57 percent of the higher education learners compared with 43 percent being male students. There are many reasons why educators and college administrators are finding evidence in the college gender gap. There are certain barriers that men face as well as alternatives to college including military, specialized training, manual labor as well as prison populations. Among all of these categories, there is a larger male presence. Some colleges actually admit less women than men because of this discrepancy with the gender gap, which is prompting talk of a possible gender bias when it comes to college admissions. Many organizations as well as federal civil rights investigators are now looking into the college admission processes at colleges throughout the United States beginning with a formal investigation to find evidence of gender discrimination. 

When it comes to the minority gap in college students, the declining number of Hispanic men is also going down among college applicants, which could be another reason many men are losing ground on college campuses. Unfortunately educators are struggling to increase the numbers of Hispanic men that apply for and attend college or university after high school. The numbers of men joining the military is another one of those huge barriers that can be attributed to the number of men going to college. Even with college being almost entirely paid for by the military after the service, or sometimes during, is complete, many men are opting not to pursue a college education. 

With costs of tuition and fees going up at colleges and universities throughout the country, many men are becoming more likely to choose an alternative form of job training like technical schools and programs. Instead of spending four years obtaining a bachelor's degree, many men are more willing to spend a few months up to a year, in a training program to get a certification in a very job-specific field. The number of students attending these technical and training schools has gone up substantially over the past few years since the first recession, and only continue to raise. With the majority of these applicants being male, it could attribute greatly as to the numbers seen in the college gender gap.

Regardless of the type of post secondary education that someone chooses, it is important for parents to talk to their children about the importance of getting a additional education after high school. Getting this education is almost a necessity in this current job market as college graduates struggle to make it in this world with such a competitive industry and high unemployment rate.