The Decline in Male College Enrollment is an Ominous Sign for America

America is in the midst of a masculinity crisis that might lead to a violent and chaotic future

There is an often-referenced African proverb that says, “A young man who is not embraced by the village will burn it down just to feel its warmth.”  The proverb is as true in America as it is in Africa. 

The rapid decline in male college enrollment is a sign that society is no longer embracing masculinity.  We’ve prioritized and pedestalized women to our own detriment.

Disastrous Consequences Loom as Boys Become More Alienated

Rewind back to the 1950s and boys outnumbered girls in college by a margin of 2 to 1.  Fast forward to the 1990s and there was an even split between boys and girls enrolled in postsecondary education. 

At the current moment, there is a 6 to 4 ratio of girls to boys in college classrooms. 

In other words, an astonishing 60% of all college students are female.  The percentage is an all-time high for the United States.

Part of the gender difference in college enrollment is attributable to the millennial age cohort’s partial failure to launch.  Some younger millennials and most of Generation Z are still living at home with their parents despite holding a college degree. 

As a result, college and university enrollment has declined by 1.5 million the recent years.  Men account for nearly three-quarters of the loss. 

Young men also have lower purchasing power than previous age cohorts, are having less sex than their predecessors and remaining single.  If we aren’t careful, young men will become increasingly deviant and violent as their “life chances” continue to dwindle.

The “Why” of Declining Male College Enrollment

There is no single reason why fewer men are attending college.  For one, boys tend to struggle to sit still and follow orders whereas women are less rambunctious and more obedient.  Boys are also distracted by more forms of stimuli ranging from sports to video games and the seemingly endless pursuit of women. 

The burden of approaching and wooing a woman is still squarely on boys’ shoulders despite the fact that the equal rights amendment was passed more than a century ago. 

Imagine for a moment that the tables have turned: envision a world in which young women had the same sex drive as young men; a world in which men had more to offer.  In such a scenario, it is women who would inevitably perform worse in academic settings and life as a whole. 

It is time that we recognize the pressure placed on men to approach women and form relationships is distractive and ultimately a net negative.  In an ideal world, women would acknowledge they are capable of making a meaningful contribution to the “tribe” of society in the form of childbirth and mothering. 

Allowing young men to choose a wife would be utilitarian.  Such a patriarchal approach would eliminate the sometimes decade-long distraction of attempting to court a mate without any guarantee of success. 

The few women who remain unpicked in such a hypothetical “wife draft” would become wine and cat ladies on the public dime.  Such undesired women would enjoy the same quality of life as their chosen peers sans a husband and children.  Think of it as an early retirement for women who lost the birth lottery.

Boys are More Hands-on Than Girls

Another reason why boys are skipping college is the fact that fewer believe a college degree is required for their desired jobs.  Male-oriented work tends to be hands-on and highly active.  Female-oriented work tends to be intellectually-oriented, taking place in climate-controlled environments such as offices and schools. 

As a result, men are bringing the brawn and women are bringing the brains.  The problem is that society is gradually pivoting away from manual labor to intellectual labor.  The ongoing shift in labor modalities has created a sharp division between the sexes. 

Women desire high-earning men with social prestige and exemplary communication skills.  Fewer men are outearning women thanks to the evolution of labor. 

Moreover, the average woman uses 13,000 more words per day than the average man.  The harsh truth is that most men aren’t nearly as communicative as women desire. 

An uneducated man is even less likely to be highly communicative simply because he lacks an expansive vocabulary and world knowledge.

We Need Affirmative Action for Men to Establish Demographic Continuity

Though uncomfortable, it is time to admit that it is in our collective interest for men to thrive.  Successful college educated men with no debt or low debt are more appealing to women.  Such coveted men will be more inclined to settle down with a woman and start a family. 

Adding to America’s domestic population from within yields better results than being dependent on outside immigrants.  Our patriotic boys here at home speak English and have deeply woven community ties. 

Instead of letting our boys aimlessly drift through life without a wife and kids, we should empower them to lay down roots.  The way to do so is through an affirmative action program for young men. 

Prioritizing young men for postsecondary education, scholarships and professional employment would greatly increase their appeal to women. 

Those coveted young men would be in a position to marry, buy a home and raise a family.  Building from within our own borders would minimize immigration, reduce mass shootings and address the ever-increasing dependency ratio.

College has Become too Woke for Men

Aside from a couple Jesuit universities scattered throughout the United States, the vast majority of postsecondary educational institutions are liberal.  College campuses are bastions of wokeism headed by far left professors and university administrators.  Such radicalized environments do not appeal to young men.

America’s teenage and twenty-something young men are moving to the political right.  The nation’s young conservative men would be more inclined to attend college if their viewpoints were met with tolerance. 

Let’s get real: it is in our collective interest to boost male college enrollment through more fair and balanced college campuses.  Hiring and promoting conservative professors in combination with allowing free speech on all college campuses will boost male enrollment for a utilitarian gender balance.