Where the Girls Are
Forty-two percent of black women who graduate from high school go on to college, compared to only 37 percent of black males; and just 35 percent of black male college students graduate within six years, compared to 45 percent of black female college students. This implies that 19 percent of black women who graduate from high school are graduating from college within six years compared to only 13 percent of black males. The overall situation is actually worse, because only 48 percent of black males graduate from high school, compared to 59 percent of black females (implying that the college graduation rate for black females is almost twice that for black males); and the disparity is almost as great for Hispanics. [emphasis added]
There is a gap between white male and white female graduation rates as well; the high school graduation rate for white males, for example, is 74 percent, compared to 79 percent for white females, and the college graduation rate is 43 percent for white males compared to 57 percent for white females.
Full post by Richard Posner at the Becker-Posner blog.
One implication is that college-educated women are having a harder time finding a male peer to marry. I’ve also heard the argument made that accomplished men are not averse to marrying down — for instance marrying a lesser-educated trophy wife. That leaves successful women competing for a smaller pool of successful men.
John,
You’re pointing to an effect. Another effect is on pages 34 and 39 of this CDC report. America will have great fun (read: be crushed) trying to pay for social programs without families. (read: taxpayers)
And it’s just a thought, but maybe setting males free from their obligations as husbands and fathers by giving them contraception has led to the objectification of women rather than their freedom. It is equality of course—equality of worthlessness: males who objectify females imply that they themselves are worth something only if they are physically pleasured.
So we can keep talking about the symptoms or man up and try to discuss the causes.
This is worrisome. Especially in the black community.
If girls were falling behind this would be a national crisis. If the boys are in trouble, no one bothers to talk about it.
I agree with Ken. It’s not politically correct to be concerned about boys.
Y’all must be deaf! Apparently, it’s even more politically incorrect to talk about the destruction of the family, whether it’s black or white.