184 Chapter 6(National Center for Education Statistics,
2008a). In that same year, 57% of bach-
elor’s degrees were awarded to women
(National Center for Education Statistics,
2008b). The sex disparity is even larger
among African American and Hispanic
persons, with women earning 66% and
61% of the degrees, respectively. Women
also receive 61% of master’s degrees, and,
in recent years, women have achieved
parity with men in terms of doctoral de-
grees earned. In 2007, women received
49% of the degrees in medicine and 48%
of the degrees in law (National Center for
Education Statistics, 2008c).
Although women have made huge
strides in educational achievements,
women and men continue to pursue
different fields. As shown in Table 6.1,
women are more likely than men to re-
ceive bachelor’s degrees in elementary
education and nursing, and men are
vary across cultures (Ceci, Williams, &
Barnett, 2009). The paradox that we are
left to explain is why girls receive higher
grades than boys in school, even in the
traditionally masculine subjects of math
and science, yet perform less well than
boys on standardized testing of the same
domains, such as the SAT. Is there an
actual difference in girls’ and boys’ apti-
tude, or does the social environment play
a role in these differences?
To understand the differences in
the levels of women’s and men’s achieve-
ment, let’s begin by evaluating the
current status of women’s and men’s
educational opportunities. Historically,
men were more likely than women to at-
tend college. However, by the early 1990s,
women began to exceed men in the rate
that they attended college. In 2007, 42%
of females and 36% of males between the
ages of 18 and 24 were enrolled in college
TABLE 6.1 PERCENT OF BACHELOR’S DEGREES CONFERRED TO MALES AND FEMALES IN 2007 AND 2008
Field of Study Percent Male Percent Female
Agriculture and natural resources 52.4 47.6
Accounting 43.8 56.2
Biological and biomedical sciences 40.6 59.4
Business administration and management, general 50.5 49.5
Computer and information sciences and support services 82.4 17.6
Education 21.3 78.7
Elementary education and teaching 9.4 90.6
Engineering 81.6 18.4
Nursing/registered nurse training 10.6 89.4
Mathematics, general 55.1 44.9
Physical sciences 59.2 40.8
Psychology 22.9 77.1
Social sciences and history 50.7 49.3
Source:Adapted from National Center for Education of Statistics (2009a).M06_HELG0185_04_SE_C06.indd 184 6/21/11 8:10 AM