Women becoming force at UNLV, CCSN

Jennifer Knight

Wednesday, July 3, 2002 | 11:11 a.m.

UNLV history professor Hal Rothman would look out over his classroom 20 years ago and see more men than women, but the landscape has changed.

Today, he says, there are more women.

"Where are all the men?" Rothman said. "Well, as (barriers) disappear and opportunities increase, I guess more women are coming to college."

And more women are graduating. Women took home a larger percentage of bachelor's degrees at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and associate's degrees at the Community College of Southern Nevada in 2002.

Women's numbers have been creeping up for the last seven years, while retention rates and grade-point averages have become lower for men, according to university system statistics.

In Southern Nevada, university system officials report that the numbers of males and females entering college are fairly even. But at UNLV only 71 percent of men continued with their education, compared to 74.8 percent for women.

A larger percentage of women tend to complete degrees, too. In 2002, about 60 percent of UNLV bachelor's degrees and 68 percent of CCSN's associate degrees went to women. Women's grade-point averages at UNLV average 3.07, compared to men at 2.83.

"It's an interesting question that higher education is facing now: What is happening with the male college population?" said Rebecca Mills, vice president of student services at UNLV.

Mills said that question -- also being asked nationally by educators -- is hard to answer.

Nationwide, enrollment and degrees obtained by women are up. Between 1987-88 and 1997-98, college enrollment among men rose 6 percent and degree completion increased by 9 percent. Gains were larger in both areas for women during the same period, with a 16 percent increase in enrollment and a 28 percent increase in degrees awarded, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics.

Southern Nevada's higher education gender issue can be attributed in part to the local economy, said Jeff Waddoups, a labor economy specialist at UNLV.

"I would say that by and large there are more opportunities for men to earn more money without college degrees than women without it," Waddoups said.

And the disparity in pay between men and women could be driving women to stay in school. For every $1 earned by males, females make 76 cents, Waddoups said.

But the economy does not explain why men have lower grades, degree completion and retention rates.

Cheryl Bartholomew, an associate professor specializing in gender education issues at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., says that women have learned how important education and networking are to their careers.

"We've seen the old boys network but we're starting to see the 'new girl' network," Bartholomew said. "Women are helping each other more now."

At most universities, including UNLV, there are women's resource centers that provide guidance and academic outreach services. Yet there is no men's outreach center at UNLV.

Bartholomew warned that the numbers are somewhat misleading. Although women are graduating at higher rates, she said, they often enter low-paying fields such as education or the humanities and remain scarce in areas such as science and math.

Still, men are falling behind in other areas -- and it could be due to the way we are raised, Bartholomew said. At UNLV, for example, statistics show that female students are more likely to use career counseling services than their male counterparts.

"Yes, it's the old thing -- women are more apt to ask for directions, unlike men," Bartholomew said.