New research from the University Of Cologne has revealed that women are less likely to believe that they can get in to a good university. The study which was lead by Professor Marita Jacob in conjunction with Melinda Erdmann and Marcel Helbig, looked in to why secondary school girls were more likely to refrain from enrolment in to college or university.
It found that women are more likely to have doubts in their own abilities which may be caused by their family or school environment. If they are not given enough encouragement to look ahead and do what ever it takes to achieve their goals, they can take part in what’s called a self fulfilling prophecy in which they behave and carry out tasks in a way they have been told. This can hinder their sense of self belief which means they may develop mental health conditions which prevents them from making the most of their own abilities. This is even though equally interested in pursuing higher education as their male counterparts – women even express higher aspirations for college enrolment than men.
One of the key findings of the study was that women hare more affected by formal restrictions which limit their ability to enter their preferred field of study. Fields with high entry requirements such as Medicine, Psychology or Law are typical examples of subjects where women do not believe they’ll be able to achieve the right grades in order to pursue a career in that area of work. They might believe that if they can’t achieve the correct grades to be able to study that subject, they will not be successful if they have to work in that area.
“The finding that women do not realise their college aspirations is particularly noteworthy, as women on average achieve higher grades than men, giving them a considerable advantage in the competition for scarce study places. The first ‘leak’ in the pipeline for academic careers in Germany therefore occurs even before actual enrolment”.
There can be a number of things which can be done counteract this sense of disbelief among female applicants. One of these could be to encourage more participation in guidance councilling sessions in which they could be taken under the wing of someone who has already been through the education system and shown what to do to achieve their full potential. This can help the economy function better as if successful they will help create a more balanced work force who can nurture the next generation.
Through out their school years, girls may also opt in to doing female aurientated subjects which may be less powerful than male subjects. There can be many examples of subjects with in the education system which girls may opt for more than boys. These can include Design and Technology where they can learn the skills of how to cook good meals and see the different nutritional value of certain products. These may not be that attractive to male students who may want to head in to otherareas where they feel they will earn more money.
College is a stressful environment for most students currently attending. Student loans are a daunting prospect for those close to graduation, the job market is more competitive and while the work load is not nearly as time consuming as one may imagine, college has the unique position of also being the time when many teenagers become young adults, an anxiety ridden prospect in its own right. College is where individuals “find” themselves and that, combined with everyday pressures, could lead to a young woman’s self-confidence to become progressively lower.
By choosing these sorts of subjects at an early level, it can shape their future beliefs and interests and make them want to head in a particular career direction.
In order to enable more talented young women to realise their academic ambitions and to counteract the phenomenon of “lost talents”, the researchers particularly advise forming initiatives such as guidance counselling to encourage and support young women and men in pursuing their goals.
