Who's in the know: Women surge, men sink in education's gender gap

The Globe and Mail
Female students are dominating campuses, a shift that will change 'who does what.' But leaving men behind has its costs
ELIZABETH CHURCH
From Monday's Globe and Mail
Last updated on Monday, Dec. 07, 2009 10:0 6AM EST

In a red-brick building at the University of Guelph, where veterinarians have been schooled for the better part of a century, a demographic shift is taking place that offers a window into the future of human behaviour.
In the past decade, Ontario Veterinary College has seen its student numbers turned on their head: Women account for more than 80 per cent of its students during that time, and now make up more than half of the province's practising vets.
It's an extreme example of a story that is playing out on campuses in Canada and around the world - and a trend that could have profound social implications. There are now three female undergraduates for every two male students on Canadian campuses, and more women than men graduated with higher education degrees in 75 of 98 countries examined in a recent UNESCO study.
Women are expected to gain more power in public and corporate life and more financial independence.
Faced with a dwindling number of potential mates who are their education equals, however, researchers speculate more women may take a pass on the traditional family, or be more willing to leave it when things don't work. And more men may find themselves tending to hearth and home.

Full Story: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/whos-in-the-know-women-surge-men-sink-in-educations-gender-gap/article1390902/