Besides looking at women’s breasts, butts and legs, men should watch out for their degrees — because women are getting them faster than their male counterparts.

According to the FAU Web site, 59 percent of FAU students in 2008 were women, and the numbers continue to rise every year — not only in the state, but nationally.
“The fact that more women are getting more degrees than men only proves that we really are smarter than them,” said Elizabeth Gosein- Vasquez, a junior political science major.

Ann Branaman, an associate professor in the sociology department, discussed why there are higher percentages of women on college campuses nowadays. It’s not something that’s only happening at FAU; it’s a national trend.
“There are less opportunities for women to make a decent wage without going to college,” said Branaman, “which could be a big reason for why this is happening.”

While there are more women getting degrees, some men blame the shift in ratios on a difference in priority. They claim to focus on getting a job rather than completing their education right away. Others blame partying for their graduation delay. 
“When a lot of guys get out of high school, they’re more worried about partying and joining a frat,” said sophomore Corey Ember, an accounting major. “It’s a lot more fun to drink than to study.”

However, even with the statistics changing in favor of women, there are still inequalities in the work force. As of today, a woman still earns only 77 cents for each dollar a man makes, according to a 2007 U.S. Census Bureau statistic.

With more women with degrees out in the workforce, Branaman said that things could possibly “change a little bit.” Although women are walking the graduation stage in higher numbers than men are, men still hold the majority of occupations in fields such as medicine or law, both considered high-paying jobs.
“Even though women are still earning less than men, at least I’m happy that things are actually changing,” said Gosein-Vasquez. “We’re not just staying at home anymore; we’re fighting for the jobs that we know we deserve.”

FAU degrees by the numbers

– In the 2007-2008 fiscal year, more than 3,000 degrees were awarded to women, compared to about 2,000 awarded to men.

– In 2008, the incoming class of freshmen comprised 52 percent women and 48 percent men.

– Also, in 2008, women earned 2,885 bachelor’s degrees versus the 1,596 bachelor’s degrees awarded to men.

[Source: www.fau.edu/explore]