Girls widen educational gap over boys despite labour market challenges
The gender gap in education is widening, with girls increasingly surpassing boys, particularly in higher education. A report by De Standaard on the first day of Dutch-language education brings attention to this growing divide.
"The feminisation of our programme is very visible," notes Piet Hoebeke, dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Ghent University. "When I was a student, the ratio was 70/30, now it is just under 30/70. We should start asking ourselves why fewer boys are choosing medicine." Similarly, in law studies, nearly 70 per cent of new students are female, underscoring this significant shift.
"Women have not only caught up with men, they have also far surpassed them"
This trend reflects a broader phenomenon: the expanding gender gap in higher education. Statistics reveal that 74 per cent of young women transition to higher education compared to just 59 per cent of young men. Furthermore, young women are more likely to obtain their diplomas and do so in a shorter timeframe. Educational sociologist Mieke Van Houtte from Ghent University points out, "Women have not only caught up with men, they have also far surpassed them."
The disparity begins in secondary education, where boys are significantly more prone to repeating a year, facing suspensions and leaving school without a diploma. They also have more frequent interactions with the Student Guidance Centre (CLB), leading to higher rates of diagnoses and disproportionate placement in special education.
Effects of social environment
Experts assert that this gap is not rooted in innate intelligence differences. "The innate cognitive differences between men and women are very small. So by definition, such a large difference in outcome is about social environment," explains cognitive psychologist Wouter Duyck of Ghent University.
Despite educational advancements, women continue to face challenges in the labour market, indicating a "reverse gender gap." Sociologist Bram Spruyt from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) sheds light on this contrast: "Risk-taking behaviour, for example, is rewarded on the labour market, but punished in education." This discrepancy suggests that while educational systems favour traits commonly exhibited by women, the labour market values different qualities that may advantage men.
This educational gender gap is not exclusive to Flanders; it is prevalent across all Western countries, with the United States and Australia leading the trend. The situation is often referred to as the "boy crisis." Richard Reeves' recent book, Of Boys and Men, has brought renewed attention to this "hidden crisis" in education and the broader issues surrounding masculinity.
©BELGA PHOTO LIEVEN VAN ASSCHE
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