It’s just a fact that a lot more females choose to spend a semester or two abroad during college vs. males. This seems to hold true even for schools where there isn’t a focus on male dominated majors like engineering.
Both of my kids - different genders - jump at any chance to go abroad they can.
I realize study abroad isn’t appealing to everyone but have some of you had daughters that did and sons that didn’t? I’m just surprised by how lopsided a lot of programs are.
I have two daughters. Both did study abroad programs through the same organization, not affiliated with a college. Both had several more women students in their programs than men.
Opposite here. Son did a study abroad and daughter didn’t.
@thumper1 Did you notice a gender imbalance in your son’s study abroad program?
Actually in his particular program, there were more guys than girls. There were 8 students in his program…and only one was a female that year,
ETA…this is NOT an engineering student!
wow, that is an outlier!
I should be more clear…in his study abroad program, there were 8 students…and 7 were guys.
Both my daughters did a semester abroad. My son, who has never liked to travel, did an 8 week summer trip to Japan, which really surprised us. He was studying Japanese and the professors from his school went also, so I think he felt safer that way. He and a friend did spend an extra week after the program traveling on their own. He is not a very outward-focused person, his main hobbies are video games and reading, whereas my Ds are much more interested in travel and other cultures.
Interesting. I did not think this would matter. I figured it was more of an economic thing since going overseas is so expensive and very few can afford it.
Neither of my kids took a semester abroad, but many of their male (and female) friends did. Their college had special programs to enable STEM majors and hard-core finance types to spend time abroad without falling out of their sequences.
At my kid’s college, study aboard was less expensive than a semester at his college. So…ymmv on costs!
I had a friend who used to work in this office at a college and it is definitely a thing.
My theory:
Possibly an explanation is that at this age some guys are still a bit fragile in their ego and can’t handle the ambiguity of being in new situations, not having a full handle on what is going on, and making mistakes in front of other people. It is too far outside their comfort zones.
Which I acknowledge is a huge extrapolation from a frank conversation with one of my nephews at age 18 about why it was hard to get guys to do summer programs. He even said that he would be leery of being in a situation where girls might be doing better that he would. It is too bad because he is a sweet guy and would have been an asset to any program.
I would be interested in seeing an analysis or opinion piece about whether or not the guys that do study abroad tend to study in an English speaking program.
My friend did accompany a short study abroad that was guy heavy. It was to the south Pacific and many members of one sports team decided to go on it. They had their built in friend group.
My daughter did study abroad a couple of years ago. My son is abroad now. Neither of them said anything about a gender imbalance in their programs…and their pictures support this assertion.
At their school, study abroad is less about the money…it is often much less expensive than being on campus…and more about fitting the experience into your schedule without compromising your graduation plans.
There are more young women in college than young men.
Could that be a factor, on why more women study abroad?
Should there be an affirmative action to recruit more young men into college to even up the imbalance?
I went on the South India Term Abroaad - and i have followed them ove rthe years. HEAVILY female - some years I believe no guys joined the program. I have never figured out why.
My son did a study abroad in Jordan - once in the summer and then both fall and spring semesters junior year. From what I can tell from photos the M/F ratios seem fairly balanced. I believe the fall program in Irbid (20 miles from the Syrian border) lost a few females when the Israelis decided to lob some missiles from the Golan Heights. Since they had not been observing the language pledge everyone was happy to see them go.
Home stays were actually easier for the women because of cultural issues, but for wandering around town it was much better to be a man. And the women seemed to be much more unwilling to meet cultural norms than the guys. My son wore a long sleeve shirt and long pants just like the locals.
Interesting. Being able to study abroad in a certain country was a criteria for my D17. My S19 doesn’t give a lick about study abroad.
Both DS18 and DS20 have or will be doing exchange trips with their high school Chinese class. DS18 will go to China with the NSLI-Y program this summer and hopes to do a summer abroad in China in college. DS did an exchange program with her high school German class, has accepted a summer internship in Germany and will be doing a 6 month study abroad program in Hamburg in her third year of college.
“I would be interested in seeing an analysis or opinion piece about whether or not the guys that do study abroad tend to study in an English speaking program.”
I have witnessed this.
“There are more young women in college than young men.”
It is too lopsided to be that, IMO. The college gender imbalance is just a few percent. Most study abroad programs are very lopsided.
“Should there be an affirmative action to recruit more young men into college to even up the imbalance?”
I think it exists for competitive experiences and those with merit scholarships. Easier to get accepted if male.
Interesting that some of you have seen balanced or male heavy programs. Would be interested in knowing the locals. Between high school, gap year, college stuff, my kids have been in plenty and all were female heavy.