Utah lagging in number of women in college

SALT LAKE CITY — Although Emily Rasely hasn't noticed much of a discrepancy among the numbers of male and female students in her own department, she has seen a lot more guys walking around on the "other side" of campus, where there are more hard science courses offered.

"Perhaps culturally, women are better prepared to handle courses offered in the humanities," the University of Utah senior said. Rasely has a tri-fold study plan, majoring in gender studies, English and history, all three of which complement each other, she says, making her education interesting and meaningful. The mix of men and women in her classes creates a "more balanced learning experience," Rasely said.

In Utah, about 49 percent of enrolled college students are women, as opposed to 57 percent across the country, according to the Utah Women and Education Project, which released a study on women in education Tuesday. The two schools with the lowest percentages of female students are also the state's largest public universities: Utah Valley University has a student body that is 43 percent female, and 44 percent of students at the U. are women.

Utah's higher education chief William Sederburg commissioned a statewide study last year to understand how to better encourage more women into college. He has said the low representation is likely due to a cultural phenomenon of Utah women marrying and starting families younger than the national average. Economics is another hypothesis.

"As tuition increases, married couples often find they can only afford to send one person to college at a time," Sederburg said. "Typically, it is the woman who steps back."

While women aren't as represented in Utah's System of Higher Education as their male counterparts, results from the recent study say they should be. Research by the Utah Women and Education Project finds that colleges and universities can help society by turning out more socially responsible and health-conscious individuals of both sexes.

"The conversations throughout the state seem to reveal that people are not recognizing the broad benefits of education," said Susan Thackeray, one of the research brief's co-authors. She said information on why the numbers are low, and what messages aren't getting across to women, is critical in order for people to "see the bigger picture when it comes to the value of education."