Perceptions of Higher Education: Gender Differences in Utah Secondary School Students

According to 2020 US Census data, 20.6% of females 25 years or older have earned a bachelor’s degree, compared to 19.8% of men. Within the same age group in Utah, females show the same pattern: 23.4% have earned a bachelor’s compared to 22.6% of males. Although statistics show gains in female educational attainment, females in Utah are more likely to have participated in some college with no degree (26.2%) or have an associate degree (11.1%), compared to males in Utah (24.9% and 8.8%, respectively). Additionally, although national rates show more females (13.0%) than males (12.4%) have earned graduate or professional degrees, Utah females (9.3%) have earned them at significantly lower rates than Utah males (14.1%). Utah females can be financially disadvantaged by not completing a degree or by not pursuing an advanced degree. Thus, it is critical to understand and address gender-related educational disparities.

Recently, the Utah Women & Leadership Project published a research brief about the perceptions of higher education, specifically with gender differences in Utah secondary school students, which is the focus of this episode. Dr. Susan Madsen, Founding Director of the Utah Women & Leadership Project, is joined by the authors of the report; Carlee Guenther Dynes, a graduate student studying sociology at Brigham Young University, and Dr. Emily Darowski, the Associate Director at the Utah Women & Leadership Project.