'The Rise of Women' Academic Article: Allie Grasgreen

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Volume IX, Issue VII
March, 2013
Academic Article:
'The Rise of Women'
By Allie Grasgreen
Abridged - from the February 21, 2013 on-line issue of Inside Higher Education.
The facts of women being more likely than men to go to college, perform better academically, and major in fields
other than science, technology, engineering and mathematics are mostly attributable to factors affecting students
before – in some cases, long before – they enter the halls of academe. But that doesn’t mean colleges can’t do
anything to mitigate the consequences.
Those are the conclusions of the authors of a new book, The Rise of Women, about how and why female students continue to outpace their male counterparts in education.
Starting with the people born around 1950, the rate of men’s bachelor’s degree completion stopped growing,
and it stayed stagnant for years. In 1970, 20 percent of men and 14 percent of women finished college. By 2010,
women’s graduation rates had “skyrocketed” to 36 percent, DiPrete said, while the rate among men grew only
seven points, to 27 percent.
Today, women outpace men in college enrollment by a ratio of 1.4 to 1.
Beginning as early as kindergarten, the authors explained, girls have better average social and behavioral skills
than boys, and that relates to girls’ higher average grades at each stage of school and why girls are more likely to
earn a degree.
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“The grade gap isn’t about ability,” said Claudia Buchmann, co-author and sociology professor at Ohio State
University, “it’s really more about effort and engagement in school.”
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“The flip side of course, is that boys’ lower engagement in school leads to weaker preparation, and then reduces
their chances of getting through college,” Buchmann said.
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On average, middle school girls are more likely to say they like school and good grades are important, and are
thus more likely to study more.
The authors’ research found that the difference-maker for boys is schools with strong academic climates.
“We really need schools that set high expectations, that treat students as individuals – not just as gendered
groups – and also motivate students to invest in their education so that they can reach the big returns of a
college degree that exist in today’s labor market,” Buchmann said.
Gender stereotypes are also at play, the authors found. Boys have historically been trained to think that they
needn’t obey rules or work hard because men used to be able to drop out of high school and still earn wages
comparable to better-educated women, thanks to jobs in fields like manufacturing, construction and travel.
That’s not the case anymore.
Even today, DiPrete said, young men are “overly optimistic” about their ability to earn a livable salary, even
though they’re less educated than women. That may cause them to “under-invest” in schoolwork, lowering their
academic performance and probability of completing college.
Volume IX, Issue VII
Page 2
Continued
“If they want to be a varsity player on a high school basketball team, they know perfectly well that they can’t tend to
other interests for several years and then when they’re juniors in high school get serious about basketball and think
they have any chance in the world of making the varsity team,” he said. “Given that they don’t actually have an idea of
how much work they have to do in order to succeed at whatever their level of educational expectations, it’s hard for
them to calibrate their effort.”
Yet as the book explains, the high school years – not the college ones – are where students begin to segregate in
choice of major. In those years, more women than men lose interest in science and technology fields. (In college,
there’s no difference between men and women in completion rates.)
And the education system may be to blame. Women who attend high schools that greatly emphasize STEM subjects
have much more interest in those majors in college, Cohen explained. “I would love to see that suggestion get more
traction before we approach the idea of kids losing steam in college in America.”
Other research DiPrete is working on shows that college women are much more interested in exploring different
curricular areas, which may serve to lower the odds that they’ll go into STEM and other fields that have very
“lockstep” focus. Understanding the broader educational goals of women could help programs tailor their
requirements so students can take a diversity of classes while also pursuing fields with heavy, set-in-stone
curriculums, he said.
Although women hold almost half of all jobs in America, less than 25 percent of those positions are in STEM fields,
according to the U.S. Department of commerce – and even women who study STEM fields in college are less likely to
seek those jobs after graduating.
To increase attainment generally, postsecondary institutions could help by providing “clearer pathways” from college
to the labor market, DiPrete said. Part of the reason that the United States has the highest drop-out rate in the
industrialized world is that students often don’t know how to get jobs or the college credentials they need.
It could also help – at all levels of education – to emphasize the benefits other than economic ones of getting a
college degree: better health, more democratic engagement and higher job satisfaction, to name a few.
This has been abridged but the full article is available at
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/02/21/new-book-explains-why-women-outpace-meneducation
Career Article
Enter a field that will pay $50K
Susan Ricker
CAREERBUILDER
If you’re looking for a job that pays about $50,000 a year, consider any of the following occupations. Although wages
will vary depending on a variety of factors, including an organization’s size and location, this list provides the median
annual pay for each occupation – that half of the workers in each position earn less and half of the workers earn
more.
Cardiovascular technologists and technicians and vascular technologists use imaging technology to help physicians diagnose cardiac and peripheral vascular ailments in patients. They also help physicians treat problems
with cardiac and vascular systems, such as blood clots. Median annual pay: $49,410
Construction and building inspectors ensure that new construction, changes or repairs comply with local and
national building codes and ordinances and contract specifications. Median annual pay: $52,360
Drafters use software to convert the designs of engineers and architects into technical drawings and plans.
Workers use these plans to build everything from microchips to skyscrapers. Median annual pay: $47,880
Editors plan coordinate and revise material for publication in books, newspapers, magazines and websites. They
review story ideas and decide what material will appeal most to readers. They also review and edit drafts
of books and articles. Median annual pay: $51,470
Volume IX, Issue VII
Page 3
Continued
Electrical and electronics installers and repairers install, repair and replace a variety of electrical equipment in
industries including telecommunications, transportation and utilities. Median annual pay: $49,170.
Electricians install and maintain electrical systems in homes, businesses and factories.
Median annual pay: $48,250.
Electro-mechanical technicians install, troubleshoot, repair, and upgrade electronic and computer-controlled
mechanical systems, such as robotic assembly machines. Median annual pay: $49,550.
Fire Inspectors visit and inspect buildings and other structures, such as sports arenas and shopping malls, to
search for fire hazards and to ensure that fire codes are met. They also inspect fire protection and fire extinguishing equipment. Fire investigators determine the origin and cause of fires. Median annual pay:
$52,230.
Food-service managers are responsible for the daily operations of restaurants and other establishments that prepare and serve food and beverages to customers. They also ensure that customers are satisfied with their
dining experience. Median annual pay: $48,130.
Forensic science technicians help investigate crimes by collecting and analyzing physical evidence. Median annual
pay: $51,570.
Industrial engineering technicians plan ways to effectively use personnel, materials, and machines in factories,
stores, hospitals, repair shops and offices. Median annual pay: $48,210.
Kindergarten and elementary school teachers prepare young students for future schooling by teaching them the
basics in subjects such as math and reading. Median annual pay: $51,380.
Mechanical engineering technicians help mechanical engineers design, develop, test, and manufacture industrial
machinery, consumer products and other equipment. They make sketches and rough layouts, record and
analyze data, and make calculations and estimates. Median annual pay: $50,110.
Middle school teachers educate students who are primarily in grades six through eight. They help students build
on the fundamentals they learned in elementary school and prepare them for the more difficult lessons they
will learn in high school.
Millwrights install, dismantle, repair, reassemble and move machinery in factories, power plants and construction
sites. Median annual pay: $48,360.
Property, real estate and community association managers take care of the many aspects of residential, commercial or industrial properties. They make sure the property looks nice, operates smoothly and preserves its
resale value. Median annual pay: $51,480.
This article was taken from the February 3, 2013 Detroit Free Press
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Remember that the Newsletter, Assignments and Calender are available at our web site:
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Volume IX, Issue VII
Page 4
March 2013
Mind Bender
Name: _______________________________
If you answer the questions correctly, you will have a chance to win a $15 gi; certificate.
Eligible contestants will have their names entered into a drawing to determine the winner.
Tom asked his Granny how old she was.
Rather than giving him a straight answer, she replied:
"I have 6 children, and there are 4 years between each one and the next. I had my first child (your Uncle
Peter) when I was 19. Now the youngest one (Your Auntie Jane) is 19 herself. That's all I'm telling you!"
How old is Tom's Granny?
February 2013
The Puzzle: Dee
Septor, the famous magician, claimed to be able to throw
a ping-pong ball so it would go a short distance, come to a complete
stop, and then reverse itself. He also added that he would not
bounce the ball off any object, or tie anything to it.
How could he perform this trick?
Solution: He throws the ball straight up in the air.