Stat: Fewer men are enrolling in higher education

In the US, the number of men’s college applications is falling while women account for a larger proportion of higher education students. According to research by the National Student Clearinghouse, the rise in women’s applications comes despite an overall decline in college and university enrolment.

The organisation’s data shows that women now make up almost 60% of US college students, even amid a fall in overall higher education registrations of 1.5m in the past five years. Interestingly, men account for 71% of this decline in students, despite making up 51% of the US population. Reflecting on this shift, men have cited the high cost of education and the lack of return on investment as reasons for not enrolling at college (source: The Wall Street Journal).

This behavioural change reflects new directions in the future of masculinity, as men opt for alternative routes to their desired careers.