University of Alaska Gender Gap Ranks Second
In Nation; More Women Seek Degrees

University of Alaska Gender Gap Ranks Second
In Nation; More Women Seek Degrees

FAIRBANKS, Alaska
The University of Alaska’s gender gap ranks second in the nation, according to findings prepared by a UA-Fairbanks professor and presented to UA regents. Women make up 61 percent of enrollment on the university’s 16 campuses, and the gap widens when it comes to the number of women compared with men who complete degree programs.

Dr. Judith Kleinfeld, director of northern studies at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, conducted the study. She says the results reflect a nationwide trend.

UA ranks second in the nation in the divide between the number of women who receive bachelor’s degrees compared with men; the gap is wider at the certificate and associate program levels.

Nationally men account for less than 44 percent of college enrollment.
A long-standing focus at UA is to educate a work force to meet Alaska’s needs; in rural Alaska especially, the need is for teachers and health care professionals — fields that traditionally have attracted more women.

“It means we need to pay more attention to the guys,” Kleinfeld told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Kleinfeld and other university officials say the gap in academic performance starts in the early school years, when girls often receive extra nurturing. They are more likely than boys to make the honor roll, graduate from high school, and go to college. Meanwhile, boys are more likely to drop out or wind up in special education programs.

Regents are looking at ways to increase the number of job-skills training programs in industries most likely to attract male interest, especially on rural campuses where the divide is greatest.

“It’s troubling and it’s an issue that we’re certainly aware of,” says UA-Fairbanks regent Cynthia Henry. “It’s a national trend, but we are at the extreme end of the trend.”