The Homecoming of American College Women: The Reversal of the College Gender Gap
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Longitudinal cohort analysis across three cohorts (by design analogy, not clinical CEBM)
OpenAlex W2138796663 · doi:10.3386/w12139
What was done
The authors analyzed three longitudinal cohorts of U.S. high school graduates from 1957, 1972, and 1992 to investigate the factors driving the elimination and eventual reversal of the gender gap in college attendance and completion.
What was found
Between 1972 and 1992, high school girls narrowed the gap with boys in mathematics and science coursework and achievement test scores, accounting for 30 to 60 percent of the relative increase in women's college completion rates. In addition, young women's future work expectations rose substantially between 1968 and 1979, and the age at first marriage for female college graduates increased by 2.5 years during the 1970s. The authors note that the ultimate reversal—rather than mere closing—of the gender gap was partly driven by persistent behavioral and developmental differences between males and females.
Why it matters
It provides a long-term empirical framework explaining why women became the majority of U.S. college graduates, linking the shift to high school academic preparation alongside changing career expectations and marriage timing.
Limits
The abstract does not report sample sizes, specific effect estimates for behavioral/developmental variables, or standard errors. The findings are observational, rely on historical U.S. cohorts, and cannot establish direct causality for all macro-level social shifts.
Cited by
- supports Men make up approximately 41% of college graduates.