The Department of Education has released statistics on females versus males earning college degrees. By 2027, it is projected that 60 percent of college degrees will go to females and less than 40 percent will go to males. This represents a total reversal from 1968, when males earned roughly 60 percent of college degrees and females earned roughly 40 percent.
Why is that a problem? To be clear, it isn’t a problem that 60 percent of college degrees are earned by females. And it isn’t necessarily a problem that 40 percent of college degrees are earned by males. For a lot of males, the idea of going to college is neither desirable nor, in certain cases, a necessity. Indeed, many believe it has been a mistake by our education establishment to force our high schools in the United States to do away with vocational training programs and replace them with a college or university preparatory curriculum. Especially in light of the many high school-aged males who do not desire to attend a four-year college or university.
Nevertheless, the emphasis has definitely been placed on the importance of college to the exclusion of other more traditional educational, including vocational options. But that isn’t really the point of this article. Instead, I wish to examine the current status of males in America overall. How are males doing? Are males doing well? Or is there a problem? I will submit there is a problem based on the available data.
We know what is happening at the college level with respect to the genders, but let’s take a closer look by examining U.S. crime statistics:
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, in 2019, males accounted for approximately 71.4 percent of individuals arrested for index crimes in the United States. It is important to note that this statistic includes both violent and property crimes, which encompasses a wide range of offenses.
Here are some examples of serious crimes committed by males in 2019 according to the FBI UCR Program, “Crime in the United States, 2019” (Table 43):
Homicide: Males accounted for approximately 88.4 percent of all offenders arrested for murder and nonnegligent manslaughter.
Aggravated Assault: Males accounted for around 73.6 percent of individuals arrested for aggravated assault in 2019.
Robbery: About 87.8 percent of offenders arrested for robbery were males.
Burglary: Males accounted for approximately 74.8 percent of individuals arrested for burglary in 2019.
Motor Vehicle Theft: Males comprised around 70.9 percent of individuals arrested for motor vehicle theft.
Moreover, sadly, but expectedly, according to the latest data from the Federal Bureau of Prisons, as of September 2021, approximately 93.6 percent of the individuals in the federal prison system in the United States are male.
Other negative trends
Mental Health Concerns: According to the National Institute of Mental Health, males face higher suicide rates compared to women. In 2019, the suicide rate for males was approximately three times higher than that of females.
Workplace Fatalities: Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the majority of workplace fatalities occur among men. In 2019, men accounted for about 93 percent of job-related deaths in the United States.
Higher Rates of Substance Abuse: A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows men tend to have higher rates of substance abuse and addiction. In 2019, approximately 66 percent of drug overdose deaths involved males.
Lower Life Expectancy: According to the CDC, men have a lower life expectancy compared to women. In 2018, the life expectancy for men in the United States was 76 years, while for women, it was 81 years.
The list goes on, including limited Access to Mental Health Services. According to a study by the National Institute of Mental Health, men were only half as likely as women to have received mental health treatment in the past year and had limited access to appropriate care.
We also hear a lot about the so-called gender earnings gap. The National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) highlights the gender earnings gap through “Equal Pay Day,” which fell on March 14 this year. The NCPE claims that women will have to work until 2023 to earn the same income as men did in 2022, despite having the same job, hours, education, and work experience. This emphasizes the significant difference in unadjusted median annual earnings between genders.
Dr. Mark Perry, an American Enterprise Scholar (emeritus), blogger, and recovering musician (my favorite title), for the past several years, has been answering “Equal Pay Day” with what he calls “Equal Occupational Fatality Day” to highlight the gender disparity in work-related deaths in the United States.
For example, Dr. Perry shows that in 2021, 91.4 percent of workplace fatalities were men, while only 8.6 percent were women. Perry argues that this significant gap in occupational fatalities contributes to the gender earnings gap, as men tend to work in higher-risk, higher-paid occupations. He also provides examples of these occupations, such as iron and steelworkers, roofers, construction trades, and logging workers, where men make up the majority of the workforce.
On the other hand, women are more likely to work in lower-risk industries, such as office and administrative support, education, and healthcare, where they outnumber men. Dr. Perry points out that the next “Equal Occupational Fatality Day” will occur in 2032, symbolizing how much longer women can work in relative safety before experiencing the same number of occupational fatalities as men.
Sometimes when it comes to our politicians, the disparity between the status of males and females can seem like a zero-sum game, especially when it comes to our focus on females. There is no National Commission on the “Status” of Men, whereas there is very much a focus and emphasis on the status of women, and as the data clearly shows, females in America today are doing pretty well.
We want a society where both males and females are doing well because when males in our society do well, females do well too, and vice versa. And yet, as a matter of public policy, the concern is almost entirely on females to the near total exclusion of males. By examining both genders, we can ensure that our efforts towards things like equality are inclusive and comprehensive.
The bottom line is that focusing solely on the “status” of one gender can perpetuate inequalities and fail to address the unique challenges faced by both genders.