A RISING RISK FOR BLACK MEN

THE SHARPEST DECLINE IN COLLEGE ENROLLMENT IS AMONG MEN OF COLOR-A DISTURBING TREND THAT COULD REVERBERATE FOR GENERATIONS

- ANNE KIM

THOUGH COLLEGE ENROLLMENT HAS declined for all groups during the pandemic, the slide has been especially precipitous for men, and for Black men in particular.

From 2019 to 2021, male undergraduate enrollment dropped by 10.2 percent, according to the National Student Clearinghouse, compared to 7.8 percent among women. Among Black men, however, enrollment fell by 14.8 percent overall, and a whopping 23.5 percent among those enrolled in two-year schools. Latino male enrollment similarly slumped: by 10.3 percent overall and by 19.7 percent among community college students.

Why the discrepancy? For one thing, the unskilled, entry-level work more available to men (say, construction) typically pays better than the unskilled work available to women (say, child care), making college relatively less attractive financially, says Michael Hicks, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. "Men at 18 have a higher wage premium than women," Hicks says.