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Why do women study abroad twice as much as men?
That's the question economist Tyler Cowen asks over at his blog, Marginal Revolution. A new study by the Institute of International Education found that about 65% of study-abroad students are women, which almost doubles the 35% of men.
And this isn't entirely because women tend to choose majors that are more likely to lend themselves to study abroad. In an engineering study abroad program, for example, a major in which 80% of the students are male, the study notes that almost 40% of those who studied abroad were female.
So why the disparity? Why do women study abroad so much more than men?
One explanation is that for the women who would like to raise children, they might feel as if this is their last chance to travel before motherhood arrives and changes everything. One study abroad administrator said, "[Some women] really hope someday to be mothers and they can't imagine being able to travel abroad and also be a mom. So if they're going to have an overseas experience, they're going to do it before they become mothers... [They] really felt plagued by the age of 30. They have a very long to-do list."
The study lists some other possible explanations: "[D]iffering maturity and risk-taking levels among 18- to 21-year-old men and women; a sense that females, concerned about safety, are more inclined to attend a college-sanctioned study abroad program than travel on their own; and, again, varying study abroad participation rates in male versus female-dominated fields."
I'll add another possible explanation: study abroad can be expensive, and men are often, shall we say, "more frugal" than women. Any other reasons, Gadling faithful?
[read Gadling's interview with Tyler Cowen here-- and yes, that photo above is from my study abroad. Easy, girls.]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Chi Dec 4th 2008 6:37PM
I'm not studying but working abroad, and I fully agree with the future motherhood explanation. When the opportunity came up I knew that I only had a small window to do something like this before I'd have children. Plus, even going back to a professional career after having kids, it's harder for a woman to travel for business.
I'm sure there are several other factors involved, but I highly resent your "frugal" theory.
Kim@Galavanting Dec 4th 2008 6:52PM
Since women attend university in general at higher rates than men, part of it's just numbers. Also, women tend to major in fields that perhaps lend themselves to study abroad like language arts, teaching, social work, etc. (These are all verifiable stats, more than I can say for your frugal theory...which, by the way, isn't really the best way to get on the right foot with us ladies...seriously.)
The motherhood thing could factor into it, but I didn't have any notion of this idea in mind and have dragged my little ones all over the place. My oldest had been to three continents before age one. Women are a little more hardy than all that fainting over thoughts of their doomed future as mothers ;). Besides, if moms are wary of travel with kids now have a slew of blogs giving travel advice (and we at Galavanting are not one of them, just have a travel w/kids columnist).
jessie @ wanderingeducators Dec 4th 2008 7:06PM
having worked in the study abroad field, i'd say that it is numbers. and having seen firsthand how (and on what) men and women spend their money overseas, i think the frugal thing needs to be chucked out the window.
we take our daughter everywhere - it is more fun to travel with her than before we had her! i feel sorry for people that think that life (and travel) ends when you have kids.
great topic for conversation!
jeannette stgermain Jan 14th 2009 3:55PM
I so agree with you about seeing children not as an obstacle, but an asset! We took our (then) 5 year old to a string of Eastern European countries when they were still under Communism. We lived then in Holland - that may have made it easier in some ways.
LadyExapt Dec 4th 2008 7:33PM
Perhaps it also depends where they are from. Here in Korea women generally have less of a chance of securing a good job upon graduation. This is still very much a patriarchal society, and although this changing, women still need something extra to get a good job. English is important here, so if they can show-off their English skills they might just get the job they want.
Kim@Galavanting Dec 4th 2008 7:18PM
PS: I didn't mean to make my comment sound all that serious. Just typing fast, I laughed at your frugal joke...really. Um, as long as it was a joke, if not, I'm totally pissed ;).
Eva Dec 4th 2008 7:26PM
Hey gals,
Aaron's "frugal" comment was pretty ambiguous - he could just as well have been calling men cheap bastards, couldn't he?
Besides, before we get too up in arms, all kinds of consumer data supports the idea that women buy more than men. (Of course, there's some socio-economic role-in-the-household stuff going on there, too, but nonetheless.)
If it's not suggesting men are stupid to point out women's higher rates of post-secondary enrollment, then it's not necessarily suggesting we gals are financially clueless crazed shoppers to point out our higher rate of consumption, is it?
Zach Everson Dec 4th 2008 8:02PM
Not to stereotype too egregiously, but being a man who didn't study abroad--and regrets it--I didn't have the maturity or curiosity to when I was in college. I was too caught up in my school paper and hanging out with my friends.
Aaron Dec 4th 2008 9:30PM
You're right, Eva. I was trying to delicately say that us guys are cheap.
teenagertc Dec 4th 2008 10:22PM
I think it is simply a numbers thing. More women attend university than men, and that explains why more women travel abroad. My last study abroad program featured myself, one other guy, and 7 girls, so I have witnessed first hand the skewed nature of study abroad programs. However, I enjoy studying abroad, and I wish I had more years in school so I could study abroad more! I've done it twice, plan to study abroad again this summer, and I feel it was the wisest decision I have ever made!
As a male, I've never considered any correlation between my sex, and studying abroad. I've always wanted to travel, and studying abroad was the cheapest way to do it (frugal maybe?). I am not sure why other men don't do it in greater numbers. I remember having a conversation about this subject when I met up with Gadling Blogger Kent Wien (name drop!!) during my study abroad this summer in Paris. (http://www.gadling.com/2008/09/03/cockpit-chronicles-july-stunning-clouds-a-blue-tower-and-a-few/)
SV Dec 4th 2008 10:46PM
...I'm sure it has nothing to do with this: http://www.theonion.com/content/node/34198
Jeff Dec 5th 2008 12:33AM
Count me as one of the guys soon to be studying abroad.
January to July in Spain!
AngryAngMo Dec 5th 2008 10:43AM
I agree, im not studying abroad but working and have a lot of friends at the local university here in Singapore, i always wondered why theres such an obvious amount of more woman then men, and i think its correct that espacially woman, in planning in a long term, are seeing this as their last real opportunity to go abroad for a longer time (before settling down)
cheers
angryangmo
Joe Dec 5th 2008 9:52AM
I believe it is the structure of the academic programs. I'm not sure for other sciences but I know for a lot of engineering programs there were far too many compromises to make for a semester abroad to be really worth it at my university. It had gotten to the point where telepresence was considered as an alternative to actually going abroad (and totally missing the point of going abroad). A normal E.E. undergrad has to do 18 credits/semester. A lot of study abroad programs only covered 6-9. And these only fulfilled the uni requirements, not necessarily your major requirements. In addition, some courses are only taught once a year and are requirements for other courses. So to study abroad might mean taking an additional year to graduate.
This was almost 8 years ago, and maybe things have improved. When I was an undergrad I longingly wanted to go abroad, but my advisor let me know it wouldn't be feasible until grad school.
Now, I have enough scratch to travel fun places, but not the time.
bmoreusa Jan 8th 2009 11:39PM
My 2 cents: It's all about guys.
If the women were planning on settling down... they'd be settling down. Based on my experience with American study-abroad women, many of them have a bit of a chip on their shoulder. Especially those who go to Paris, Barcelona, Florence, Prague. They consider America limiting and Europe (and European guys) far more interesting than their US fellow-students.
A year abroad is ideal because it requires neither the independent drive nor the full commitment that moving abroad would require.
Most the American women I met abroad can't really take the lack of amenities and luxuries they're used to from the States for longer than a year. After 9 months, they usually long to go back home. Especially when it turns out that Fabio or Cédric is just as immature, shallow, stupid and horny as American boys, except they shower less.
And they have very little ambition.
Even if they hook up with a guy who showers, it's far more likely that they take him home to the States, rather than vice versa.
How do I know: I'm one of those European guys who showers.