History Main / HigherEducationIsForWomen

* On ''{{Daria}}'' [[DumbJock Kevin]] is the only senior character who doesn't graduate, while even [[DumbBlonde Brittany]] manages to get into a college (though mostly for cheerleading). [[ExtracurricularEnthusiast Jodie]] also has her pick of the very best schools while her boyfriend [[TheGenericGuy Mack]] has to worry about getting into a less prestigious one. To be fair, [[TallDarkAndSnarky Tom]] and [[TheSnarkKnight Daria]] subvert this: they both get into good schools, but his is better because he has a legacy.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': According to WordOfGod, Hermione was the only member of the trio to go back to Hogwarts to finish her education after ''[[HarryPotter/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]''. This was later mirrored in RealLife by EmmaWatson being the only member of the real trio to go to college.

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' had Buffy and Willow go to university while Xander didn't. Cordelia got accepted to several universities but couldn't go because her family fortune vanished when her father went to jail. Oz did go to university, but seemingly only because Willow was going - he certainly dropped out quickly when they broke up.

This is an EvolvingTrope as society changes - a couple of generations ago, the gender ratio would have been reversed and as late as the 1970s, young women attending further education would have been stereotyped as [[MRSDegree looking out for potential husbands]].

* On The Chalk, in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novels, education full stop is for women; it's generally agreed that it's useful for the girls to visit the Wandering Teachers when they arrive and learn reading and arithmetic, but there's no sense in the boys filling their heads with stuff. This may have changed with the building of a permenant schoolhouse in ''Discworld/IShallWearMidnight''.

* On The Chalk, in the {{Discworld}} novels, education full stop is for women; it's generally agreed that it's useful for the girls to visit the Wandering Teachers when they arrive and learn reading and arithmetic, but there's no sense in the boys filling their heads with stuff. This may have changed with the building of a permenant schoolhouse in ''Discworld/IShallWearMidnight''.

** One episode took this to the logical extreme: Almost every woman in the extended Simpson family (aunts, nieces, cousins, etc.) had graduated from college, as well as being successful in their careers. Almost every man, however...didn't.

When a cast of teenage characters graduate from HighSchool, the girls are more likely to go to university while the boys are more likely to either get a job straight out of the gate, join the military, or at least decide that university is not for them (sometimes briefly attending before dropping out). While there is a RealLife gender split when it comes higher education - that is to say proportionally more women go to university - in fiction, this trend can come across as heavily exaggerated.

When a cast of teenage characters graduate from HighSchool, the girls are more likely to go to university while the boys are more likely to either get a job straight out of the gate or at least decide that university is not for them (sometimes briefly attending before dropping out). While there is a RealLife gender split when it comes higher education - that is to say proportionally more women go to university - in fiction, this trend can come across as heavily exaggerated.

--> a well-known children's rhyme

-->'''"Girls go to college to get more knowledge. Boys go to [[SpaceDoesNotWorkThatWay Jupiter]] to get [[DoesNotLikeMen more stupider]]!"'''
--> -'''a well-known children's rhyme'''

-->'''"Girls go to college to get more knowledge. Boys go to [[SpaceDoesNotWorkThatWay Jupiter]] to get [[DoesNotLikeMen more stupider]]!"
--> -a well-known children's rhyme

This is an EvolvingTrope as society changes - a couple of generations ago, the gender ratio would have been reversed and as late as the 1970s, young women attending further education would have been stereotyped as looking out for potential husbands.

* As part of their overachiever/underachiever dynamic, ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' receives a mountain of college offers as she nears the end of high school, while her sidekick and boyfriend Ron is left going begging. This issue in the GrandFinale, as he comes to believe she will (or should) shoot away into a stellar future and leave him in the dirt.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** A flashback episode revealed Marge went to college after high school while Homer formed a grunge band.
** Similarly, a very realistic flashforward shows Maggie and Lisa at college while Bart works a blue-collar job.

When a cast of teenage characters graduate HighSchool the female characters are more likely to go to university while the boys are more likely to either get a job straight out of the gate or at least decide university is not for them (sometimes briefly attending before dropping out.) While there is a RealLife gender split when it comes higher education - that is to say proportionally more women go to university - in fiction this trend can come across as heavily exaggerated.

In part this seems to stem from GirlsNeedRoleModels (which means most female characters in a HighSchool setting will be good students) and the tendency for boys to be portrayed as BookDumb.

This is an EvolvingTrope as society changes - a couple of generations ago the gender ratio would have been reversed and as late as the '70s young women attending further education would have been stereotyped as looking out for a potential husband.

* In ''Film/{{Clerks}}'' Dante dropped out of college to work in an awful job; his girlfriend Veronica stays in college and tries to persuade him to return.

* In ''[[BeverlyHills90210 90210]]'' the only three characters to go on to university are Annie, Ivy and Naomi - even though Naomi is an indifferent student at best it is never even suggested she might not want to go to university and Ivy likewise was never suggested to be a particularly book smart girl. Another female character (Silver) was all set to go to go but her interview was sabotaged by her rival. Meanwhile none of male teens are continuining their education, even the nerdy Navid.

* In ''TheOC'' Summer and Taylor went to university. Ryan and Seth did not, at least at first.

* Paul Willis' iconic book ''Learning to Labour'' discusses how for working class men the whole notion of education is feminised, because 'real' men get a job quick smart.

This is an EvolvingTrope as society changes - a couple of generations ago the gender ratio would have been reversed and as late as the 70's young women attending further education would have been stereotyped as looking out for a potential husband.

* In ''{{Clerks}}'' Dante dropped out of college to work in an awful job; his girlfriend Veronica stays in college and tries to persuade him to return.

* ''HarryPotter'': According to WordOfGod, Hermione was the only member of the trio to go back to Hogwarts to finish her education after ''[[HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]''. This was later mirrored in RealLife by EmmaWatson being the only member of the real trio to go to college.

* In [[BeverlyHills90210 90210]] the only three characters to go on to university are Annie, Ivy and Naomi - even though Naomi is an indifferent student at best it is never even suggested she might not want to go to university and Ivy likewise was never suggested to be a particularly book smart girl. Another female character (Silver) was all set to go to go but her interview was sabotaged by her rival. Meanwhile none of male teens are continuining their education, even the nerdy Navid.
* ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' had Buffy and Willow go to university while Xander didn't. Cordelia got accepted to several universities but couldn't go because her family fortune vanished when her father went to jail. Oz did go to university, but seemingly only because Willow was going - he certainly dropped out quickly when they broke up.
* ''DawsonsCreek'' had Dawson go to university but drop out almost at once. Pacey didn't go at all making Jack the only male main character to keep attending. Both girls (Joey and Jen) went to university and the new female main character (Audrey) was also a university girl.

* [[GilmoreGirls Rory Gilmore]] was attracted to each of her three boyfriends because of their intelligence but they would disappoint her with their lack of interest in college.

* In ''TheSimpsons'' a flashback episode revealed Marge went to college after high school while Homer formed a grunge band.
** Similarly, a very realistic flashforward shows Maggie and Lisa at college while Bart works a blue-collar job.

* Paul Willis' iconic book 'Learning to Labour' discusses how for working class men the whole notion of education is feminised, because 'real' men get a job quick smart.

Examples: