Why are men enrolling in U.S. colleges at alarmingly low rates? (opinion)

In the United States, some 35% of wealth is inherited. Men are two times more likely to inherit a business than women are. The reason more women are enrolling in four-year colleges is because women have no other option.

The overwhelming majority of America’s blue-collar workforce is men. Most of these jobs don’t require any sort of higher education beyond trade school in some cases. So while some men may be spared the exorbitant expense of attending a four-year college, women may not have a path to making a living wage without doing so.

In a country where a college degree is less a leg-up than it is a prerequisite for most white-collar employment opportunities, women have no choice but to get one.

The cause behind this gender discrepancy among students in higher education institutions may feel rather disquieting, but it has the opportunity to help close the gap of that same representation in the workforce. Soon there will be just as many women as there men who are qualified for white-collar executive positions. Assuming they secure these positions, perhaps a more egalitarian society can trickle down from those at the top.