History Main / HigherEducationIsForWomen

*** This apparently because there is a hereditary gene for extreme stupidity in the Simpson family that only carries down the Y-chromosome, meaning all Simpson males are doomed to be idiots at birth.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

** "Lisa the Simpson" [[ExaggeratedTrope 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. Bart and Homer, upon learning this, simply shrug their shoulders and join their uncles, nephews, and cousins in a head-butting contest.

* Practically an EnforcedTrope in UsefulNotes/{{Singapore}}, as by law, almost every 16-year old Singaporean male or man who's finished his pre-university education has to [[UsefulNotes/SingaporeansWithStealthFrigates enlist in the army for about 2 years]], meaning that girls who graduated from the HighSchool equivalent in the same year as the boys are two years ahead by the time they're out of the army.

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]]. Currently, the sex ratio in universities is lopsidedly female, but there are often differences in the gender percentage of individual majors -- the STEM fields (natural and formal sciences, technology, and engineering fields) are more often that not a [[ChromosomeCasting sausage fest]], but women tend to dominate social sciences, arts, and humanities (also known as social studies); business fields can swing either way, but tend to lean slightly more towards men. For further analysis of the gender breakdown in scientific study, compare the manner in which HardOnSoftScience is frequently divided up by gender ("hard science" = male, "soft science" = female).

* ''''LightNovel/ListenToMeGirlsIAmYourFather'': In the ''Rojou Kansatsu Kenkyuu Nisshi'' series, Yuuta was tricked into thinking he impregnated Raika and would have to get a job to support her while she furthered her education. Only after signing what he believed to be wedding papers, he realized he actually joined the Street Observation Research Society.

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 to higher education -- that is to say, proportionally more women go to university -- in fiction, this trend can come across as heavily exaggerated. Its representation in modern fiction may be a consequence of real-world statistics and common notions in fiction - perhaps a combination of the belief that women characters [[WomenAreWiser should automatically be smarter]] and that academia is not an appropriately "[[WhatMeasureIsANonBadass manly]]" or "[[GoodIsDumb heroic]]" pursuit for your male protagonist(s).

Contrast MRSDegree, which is about women getting into higher education not to get an education, but a husband with one, although both this trope and the opposite trope can overlap if the woman wants both an education and a husband, particularly if she didn't have a [[HighSchoolSweethearts High School Sweetheart]].

* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]] & ''ComicBook/SensationComics'': Back in the Golden Age of Comics Diana's supporting cast was mostly made up of men who'd joined the military straight out of high school like ComicBook/SteveTrevor and women who were in college (specifically Holldiay College), had gone to college, or had gotten a job straight out of high school so their young sister(s) could go to college.

* In ''Series/{{Roseanne}}'' Darlene went to college (and in fact got accepted into a writing program earl)y) and Becky wanted to; however, her plans were derailed when she got married. Neither of the two boys who the Conner daughters dated went. David wanted to, but was rejected. Mark, who was shown to be an incredibly gifted mechanic, attempted a local garage management program, but dropped out.

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseFuture ''

** Played with in "Holidays of Future Passed" where the family photographs revealed that Bart and Lisa went to college while Maggie had either dropped out or didn't make it to college. Soon Bart was a college dropout while Maggie became a famous rock star.

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' had Buffy and Willow go to university while Xander didn't, though that's more because his grades were terrible. 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.

* Due to an observed phenomenon in patriarchal societies, this is a trend of attitude that may be likely to continue: work and practices thought of as 'feminine,' like nursing and teaching, tend to be devalued, paid less, and have fewer opportunities for advancement. On the flip side, the more a job is considered "male," the more it is likely to have [[WhenYouComingHomeDad longer hours]], less stability, [[NoOSHACompliance greater health hazards]] and [[MenAreTheExpendableGender a higher tolerance for morality rates]]. 'Male' areas are given more esteem ''unless'' they are labor work (think ''Series/DirtyJobs''). A woman going into a "man's" field is considered admirable (but may receive unwanted attention), but a man going into a "woman's" field can be considered [[BumblingDad inept]] at best and a [[PedoHunt potential predator at worst]]. Higher education can also be seen as a good for women due to [[GoGetterGirl social advancement for women]] or for the "benevolent" sexism that [[WomenAreDelicate women are too fragile for trade and labor work and need to be in "protected" office jobs]].

[[AltText To get more knowledge]]''

[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/simpsons_family_photo_8.png]]]]

** It's not just college either, it's grad school and professional programs. Women have earned more [=PhDs=] than men every year since 2008. There are now more women than men in law school (since 2016) and medical school (since 2017). Women make up 80% of attendees in veterinary school and over 60 % of attendees of pharmacy in school. Pharmacy, in particular, is considered to be the best career choice for women due to its high pay and the possibility for flexible hours. You can work part-time and still make good money or you can also work from 6-2 and be off by the time your kids get home from school. The gender wage gap (which largely comes from women still bearing the brunt of childcare) is negligible between men and women pharmacists.

* Due to an observed phenomenon in patriarchal societies, this is a trend of attitude that may be likely to continue: work and practices thought of as 'feminine,' like nursing and teaching, tend to be devalued, paid less, and have fewer opportunities for advancement. On the flip side, the more a job is considered "male," the more it is likely to have [[WhenYouComingHomeDad longer hours]], less stability, [[NoOSHACompliance greater health hazards]] and [[MenAreTheExpendableGender a higher tolerance for morality rates]]. 'Male' areas are given more esteem ''unless'' they are labor work (think ''Series/DirtyJobs''). A woman going into a "man's" field is considered admirable (but may receive unwanted attention), but a man going into a "woman's" field can be considered [[BumblingDad inept]] at best and a [[PedoHunt potential predator at worst]] Higher education can also be seen as a good for women due to [[GoGetterGirl social advancement for women]] or for the "benevolent" sexism that [[WomenAreDelicate women are too fragile for trade and labor work and need to be in "protected" office jobs]].

[[quoteright:349:[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/simpsons_family_photo_8.png]]]]

[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/simpsons_family_photo_8.png]]]]

* ''LightNovel/PapaNoIukotoOKikinasai'': In the ''Rojou Kansatsu Kenkyuu Nisshi'' series, Yuuta was tricked into thinking he impregnated Raika and would have to get a job to support her while she furthered her education. Only after signing what he believed to be wedding papers, he realized he actually joined the Street Observation Research Society.

* Since many factory and labor jobs have been outsourced, automated, or become obsolete since the TurnOfTheMillennium and the economy is shifting to computer based, service-based work, economic downturns have been hitting [[https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/1999/mar/wk3/art05.htm?view_full young]] [[https://siepr.stanford.edu/news/gender-gap-reversal working class]] [[https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-get-american-men-working-again-11574436197 men]] far more than young women. Parents may be more eager to send their daughters to school but figure their sons can just go and work a labor job (or [[SignedUpForTheDental or join the Army]]) like their fathers did. Mix high unemployment and lower education rates for young men, high student debt and lower pay for women, and you have young people unable to marry because a young man who can't support his half of the family bills is almost unmarriageable and young women can't get out of the student debt needed to make a stable family.

* Due to an observed phenomenon in patriarchal societies, this is a trend of attitude that may be likely to continue: work and practices thought of as 'feminine, like nursing and teaching, tend to be devalued, paid less, and have fewer opportunities for advancement. On the flip side, the more a job is considered "male," the more it is likely to have [[WhenYouComingHomeDad longer hours]], less stability, [[NoOSHACompliance and greater health hazards]] and [[MenAreTheExpendableGender a higher tolerance for morality rates]]. 'Male' areas are given more esteem ''unless'' they are labor work (think ''Series/DirtyJobs''). A woman going into a "man's" field is considered admirable (but may receive unwanted attention), but a man going into a "woman's" field is considered [[BumblingDad inept]] at best and a [[PedoHunt potential predator at worst]] Higher education can also be seen as a good for women due to [[GoGetterGirl social advancement for women]] or for the "benevolent" sexism that [[WomenAreDelicate women are too fragile for trade and labor work and need to be in "protected" office jobs]].
* Since many factory and labor jobs have been outsourced, automated, or become obsolete since the TurnOfTheMillennium and the economy is shifting to computer based, service-based work, economic downturns have been hitting [[https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/1999/mar/wk3/art05.htm?view_full young]] [[https://siepr.stanford.edu/news/gender-gap-reversal working class]] [[https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-get-american-men-working-again-11574436197 men]] far more than young women. Parents may be more eager to send their daughters to school but figure their sons can just go and work a labor job (or [[SignedUpForTheDental or join the Army]]) like their fathers did. Mix high employment rates for young men, high student debt and low pay for women, and you have young people unable to marry because the young women don't want to marry a man who can't support his half of the family bills and young women can't get out of the student debt needed to make a stable family.

* Due to an observed phenomenon in patriarchal societies, this is a trend of attitude that may be likely to continue: work and practices thought of as 'feminine, like nursing and teaching, tend to be devalued (and paid less), while 'male' areas are given more esteem ''unless'' they are labor work (think ''Series/DirtyJobs''). A woman going into a "man's" field is considered admirable (but may receive unwanted attention), but a man going into a "woman's field is considered [[BumblingDad inept]] at best and a [[PedoHunt potential predator at worst]] On the flip side, the more a job is considered "male," the more it is likely to have [[WhenYouComingHomeDad longer hours]], less stability, [[NoOSHACompliance and greater health hazards]] and [[MenAreTheExpendableGender a higher tolerance for morality rates]]. Higher education can also be seen as a good for women due to [[GoGetterGirl social advancement for women]] or for the "benevolent" sexism that [[WomenAreDelicate women are too fragile for trade work and need to be in "protected" office jobs]]. Which, again, is just as sexist for males because they're expected to do the hard labor that keeps the women "safe."

* Due to an observed phenomenon in patriarchal societies, this is a trend of attitude that may be likely to continue: work and practices thought of as 'feminine, like nursing and teaching, tend to be devalued (and paid less), while 'male' areas are given more esteem ''unless'' they are labor work (think ''Series/DirtyJobs''). A woman going into a "man's" field is considered admirable (but may receive unwanted attention), but a man going into a "woman's field is considered [[BumblingDad inept]] at best and a [[PedoHunt potential predator at worst]] On the flip side, the more a job is considered "male," the more it is likely to have [[WhenAreYouComingHomeDad longer hours]], less stability, [[NoOSHACompliance and greater health hazards]] and [[MenAreTheDisposableGender a higher tolerance for morality rates]]. Higher education can also be seen as a good for women due to [[GoGetterGirl social advancement for women]] or for the "benevolent" sexism that [[WomenAreDelicate women are too fragile for trade work and need to be in "protected" office jobs]]. Which, again, is just as sexist for males because they're expected to do the hard labor that keeps the women in low-risk work.

* Due to an observed phenomenon in patriarchal societies, this is a trend of attitude that may be likely to continue: work and practices thought of as 'feminine, like nursing and teaching, tend to be devalued (and paid less), while 'male' areas are given more esteem. And if an area has been male-dominated and gets more inclusive of women as time goes on, its societal stock falls in direct correlation. Simply put, the more women go to university, the less it is seen as an admirable choice for a man. So its possible this trend will continue until higher education is as female-dominated as nursing is. Or, more optimistically, that trend will be overtake by more enlightened values re. the value of femaleness in society, and higher education will retain its esteem and its balanced gender demographics.

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]]. Currently, the sex ratio in universities is lopsidedly female, but there are often differences in the gender percentage of individual majors -- the STEM fields (natural and formal sciences, technology, and engineering fields) are more often that not a [[ChromosomeCasting sausage fest]], but women tend to dominate social sciences, arts, and humanities; business fields can swing either way, but tend to lean slightly more towards men. For further analysis of the gender breakdown in scientific study, compare the manner in which HardOnSoftScience is frequently divided up by gender ("hard science" = male, "soft science" = female).

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]]. Currently, the sex ratio in universities is lopsidedly female, but there are often differences in the gender percentage of individual majors -- the STEM fields (natural and formal sciences, technology, and engineering fields) are more often that not a [[ChromosomeCasting sausage fest]], but women tend to dominate social sciences and humanities; business fields can swing either way, but tend to lean slightly more towards men. For further analysis of the gender breakdown in scientific study, compare the manner in which HardOnSoftScience is frequently divided up by gender ("hard science" = male, "soft science" = female).

Contrast MRSDegree, which is about women getting into higher education not to get an education, but a husband with one, although both this trope and the opposite trope can overlap if the woman wants both an education and a husband.

Contrast MRSDegree, which is about women getting into higher education not to get an education, but a husband with one.

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]]. Currently, the sex ratio in universities is lopsidedly female, but there are often differences in the gender percentage of individual majors -- the STEM fields (physical sciences, technology, and engineering fields) are more often that not a [[ChromosomeCasting sausage fest]], but women tend to dominate life sciences and humanities. For further analysis of the gender breakdown in scientific study, compare the manner in which HardOnSoftScience is frequently divided up by gender ("hard science" = male, "soft science" = female).

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[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/simpsons_family_photo_8.png]]]]

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]]. Currently, the sex ratio in universities is lopsidedly female, but there are often differences in the gender percentage of individual majors - the STEM fields (physical sciences, technology, and engineering fields) are more often that not a [[ChromosomeCasting sausage fest]], but women tend to dominate life sciences and humanities. For further analysis of the gender breakdown in scientific study, compare the manner in which HardOnSoftScience is frequently divided up by gender ("hard science" = male, "soft science" = female).

!!Examples

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[folder:Film]]

* In ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'', the Andalites value education and intelligence in general, but when it comes to careers, they play this straight. In their culture, the sciences and the arts are considered the domains of females, while males are [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy expected to join the military]].

[[folder:Live-Action Television]]

* ''Series/GilmoreGirls'': Rory Gilmore (page image) and Paris Geller were both accepted into numerous Ivy League schools and Lane also attended college. Meanwhile neither of Rory's ex-boyfriends considered carrying on serious study: Dean dropped out of community college and Jess didn't even graduate high school. Logan did attend college but only because his father forced him to and spent most of his time partying, as did all his male College friends while all of Rory's female suitemates were focused and highly intelligent.

* Very much [[AvertedTrope averted]] by ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'', with the only main character below a Masters level of education being [[TheChick Penny]]. Penny does later return to community college, however.
* On ''Series/FamilyMatters'', this trope was played straight within the Winslow family. Laura was a straight A student and was on her way to become a lawyer, but Eddy was never good in school, and even though he spent a couple of years in College, he would drop out to become a policeman instead. Steve however is an aversion, as he too had always had been a straight A student and was excelling in College.
* ''Franchise/PowerRangers'': The number of confirmed female college-goers/females with doctorates far outnumbers the males. Compare [[Series/PowerRangersTurbo Katherine Hillard]], [[Series/PowerRangersLightspeedRescue Dana Mitchell, Angela Fairwather]], [[Series/PowerRangersWildForce Alyssa Enrile]], [[Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder Hayley Ziktor]], [[Series/PowerRangersSPD Kat Manx]], [[Series/PowerRangersOperationOverdrive Rose Ortiz]], [[Series/PowerRangersRPM Dr. K]] and [[Series/PowerRangersSamurai Mia Watanabe]] who were all confirmed to either have a higher education, or were explicitly being shipped off to it in the epilogue, to [[Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder Tommy Oliver]] and [[Series/PowerRangersOperationOverdrive Andrew Hartford]] as two of the few male characters to attend college.

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* [[http://xkcd.com/1202/ Subverted]] by Webcomic/{{XKCD}}:
-->Girls go to college\\

[[AltText To get more knowledge]]

* 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 becomes a plot 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/{{Daria}}'' is almost a case of GraduationForEveryone (in Daria's grade), with everyone off to college as well. The exception is [[DumbJock Kevin]], who winds up flunking even as his girlfriend [[DumbBlonde Brittany]], none too bright herself, is accepted to exactly one school, which is noted for having [[TheCheerleader one of the country's top cheerleading squads]].

[[folder:Live Action Television]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]

** Flashback episode "That '90s Show" revealed Marge went to college after high school while Homer formed a grunge band.
** A very realistic flash-forward shows Maggie and Lisa at college while Bart works a blue-collar job.

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[[caption-width-right:200:Best in her class.]]