Gender gap in higher diplomas is growing, “because boys don’t think working hard for school is cool”

While 6 in 10 young women obtain a higher education diploma, this is the case for only 4 in 10 men. “Boys do want to perform, but that is seen as not cool.”

Nearly 60 percent of women aged 25 to 34 today have a higher education diploma. Among their male peers, this applies to 4 in 10. This is evident from new figures from Statbel, the Belgian statistics agency. Moreover, the gap between men and women has continued to widen since the 2000s.

“We have noted for several years that the number of enrollments in higher education is higher among women than among men. Women have not only overtaken men, but far surpassed them,” says sociologist Mieke Van Houtte (UGent). It is a result of the finding that girls have generally performed better than boys in secondary education for decades, says Van Houtte. “Students and school dropouts are also more likely to be boys there.”

Stereotypes

Van Houtte links the poorer academic performance of male students in secondary education to the ‘boy culture’ at school. “They do want to perform and there is also a competitive spirit, but that is seen as ‘not cool’. It does not fit the ideal image of male identity.” For boys, says Van Houtte, their image is a lot more important than for girls. “They will be more resistant to working hard at school, because they see it as something feminine. Both boys and girls have to make the trade-off between being popular and working hard. But girls are much more successful in making that combination. They can also afford to do well at school and fit in well with the group at the same time.”

To reverse this trend and allow more boys to progress to higher education, “something must certainly be done about those persistent gender stereotypes,” says Van Houtte. “We need to work on those gender roles, so that it is clear to boys that they are also ‘allowed’ to work hard at school. In addition, the educational approach must also ensure that boys are more stimulated.”