Female enrollment in colleges is up nationwide, including at AU, which has affected dorm life, classroom dynamics and the campus dating scene, according to students.
According to the College Board's Web site, in 2005, AU's female to male ratio was 64 percent to 36 percent, with a freshmen class of 1,223 students and an overall total of 5,788 undergraduate students.
Besides AU, female enrollment is also up at George Washington University, which is 57 percent female and 43 percent male. This fall, 58 percent of all freshmen are women.
At AU, the increase of female enrollment has impacted the students in various ways. Currently, there are 130 female triples on the detripling list compared to 72 male triples on the same list.
A change in classroom atmosphere can also be affected because of the ratio.
"I taught a small writing class one semester made up of about six to seven females and two to three males," said English professor Melissa Markham. "One day, all of the males were absent from class, leaving just the girls. Our discussion took on a very different nature than it would have otherwise."
Some female students see the ratio as a dating disadvantage.
"Increased female enrollment leads to an abysmal dating scene," said Carmen Strickland, a senior in the School of International Service. "There is an absolute shortage of guys on campus."
Tracey Plotkin, a freshman in the Kogod School of Business, noted the long-term disadvantages to a majority female student body.
"How are you going to get married if all the people you associate with are girls?" she said.
Male students, however, said they do not notice the ratio.
"I can't really tell the difference," said Josh Sonstein, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. "It doesn't affect my social life in any way."
The rising increase of females in higher education will not affect AU's admission process, Director of Admissions Sharon Alston said.
"The participation of women in higher education is a growing national trend," she said. "In general ... in evaluating candidates for admission, we are holistic in our review. Our decisions are based on merit, and gender plays no part in our admission process."
AU has had a female majority for more than 25 years, and the Office of Admissions sees no problem with the growing amount of females on campus, Alston said.
Law schools as a whole mirror the increase as well. According to the National Law Journal, female enrollment in participating law schools such as Georgetown, George Washington, Harvard and Columbia from 2004 to 2005 has risen from 44.3 percent in 2004 to 44.6 percent in 2005. Out of the 19 schools surveyed, the amount of women who entered law school in 2005 rose from 2,676 to 2,717 students.
Even though more women are attending college than men today, there has been an insignificant change in the amount of positions women can hold in high corporate companies. Today, women run fewer than 2 percent of Fortune 500 companies, according to USA Today.
According to the Department of Labor, the top five occupations women account for are secretaries and administrative assistants; elementary and middle school teachers; registered nurses; nursing, psychiatric and home health aides; and cashiers.
