The Gender Gap in College: Implications for Campus Practice and Research

Lecture | October 6 | 12-1:30 p.m. | 768 Evans Hall

Speaker/Performer: Linda J. Sax, Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, UCLA

Sponsor: Center for Studies in Higher Education

As women comprise an increasing majority of college students&151;up to 57 percent nationwide&151;the &147;gender gap&148; in higher education has garnered renewed public interest. Unfortunately, focusing on the gender gap solely in terms of a zero-sum admissions game overlooks the role that gender plays once students are enrolled. How do male and female college students differ from each other in terms of their backgrounds, characteristics, and dispositions And more importantly, does gender influence the way in which they experience college Do women and men benefit equally from their engagement with the campus environment Do interactions with peers and faculty have the same consequences for both genders Are women and men affected in the same ways by their membership in student clubs, participation in sports, or exposure to racial, ethnic, or cultural diversity Despite decades of research on how students are affected by their college experiences&151;research that tends to focus on all students rather than subgroups of students&151;we actually know quite little about the answers to these questions.
In this presentation, Dr. Linda Sax will share the results of a study that addressed each of these questions using longitudinal survey data on over 10,000 women and 7,000 men attending 200 colleges and universities nationwide. The complete study is revealed in The Gender Gap in College: Maximizing the Developmental Potential of Women and Men (2008, Jossey-Bass).

Event Contact: 510-642-7703