Mind the gap: A gender parity analysis of UPCAT passers

Have you heard of the saying, “Men are from Mars, women are from Venus”? In the University of the Philippines, men are from Engineering and women are everywhere. We gender-classified the first names of all passers of the University of the Philippines College Admission Test or UPCAT from 2012 to 2018 to bust some popular gender myths: Is technology really for dudes? Is there really a shortage of female scientists? Are fitness junkies mostly bros? Who run the UPCAT? Girls. Here’s a global paradox: even though women are reaching higher levels of education than men, more men are in the workforce. Despite the Philippines’ rank as the most gender-equal country in Asia, the country is no exception. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, less than half of women (46.2%) are in the workforce compared to more than three fourths of men (76.2%), even though 22.7% of women finish college compared to only 18.4% of men.

For the past seven years, women have consistently outnumbered men three to one among UPCAT passers. The gap was only closed in 2016 and 2017, irregular years that saw 90% fewer examinees because of the implementation of K-12. During these years, some courses’ traditional gender skew temporarily flipped before returning to “normal” in 2018.

What could explain this? According to UNICEF and The Economist, young girls are socialized to become more conscientious in household chores and schoolwork while young boys are given more freedom to play online and outdoors. Later in life, the great pressure men face to provide financially for their families may lead to academic underperformance and dropping out, especially among poorer households. On the other hand, women might feel more driven to achieve academically to prepare themselves for the glass ceilings, glass cliffs, and negative stereotypes they are more likely to face in the workplace: that they’re too emotional, can’t lead, should stay home with the kids, or “cause trouble because men fall in love with them” (as one Nobel Laureate controversially expressed). The persistent bias for males and against females manifests as early as recruiters make character judgements based on names alone. A famous Yale study (2012) found that John’s application was graded higher than Jennifer’s in terms of competence, "hireability", and mentoring potential even if they had identical qualifications. STEM is the most gender-balanced academic cluster Where are the women scientists, you ask? We considered an academic cluster or degree program to be “gender-balanced” when the ratios of both male and female passers fell between 45 and 55%. Contrary to expectations, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), on the whole, was the most gender-balanced academic cluster, with a 1:1 male-female parity. The remaining four academic clusters— Arts and Letters, Management and Economics, Social Sciences, and Health Sciences—were all female-dominated. Gender ratios skewed even more sharply within individual degrees. Out of 107 courses, only 10 were gender-balanced: Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Forestry, Geology, Industrial Engineering, Materials Engineering, Mathematics, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Music, and Sports Science/Physical Education. Of the remaining 97 degrees that skewed either male or female, 85 were female-dominated and 12 were male-dominated. While there doesn’t seem to be a scarcity of potential female scientists, potential female engineers are harder to find. Of the 12 dude-heavy courses, eight were engineering programs. In the most male dominated program, Mechanical Engineering, the ratio of males to females is 4:1. In tech, Computer Engineering and Computer Science are also slightly male-dominated.

These findings support the idea that traditional notions of masculinity might prohibit men from entering professions associated with such “feminine” pursuits as caring for people (e.g. teacher, psychologist, social worker, health professional) or making things beautiful and functional (e.g. interior design, fashion design). Even at an early age, toys are segregated: boys are given toy tractors, building blocks, and toy guns while girls are given dolls, toy kitchens, and make-believe make-up sets. If gender socialization does affect the career paths that people take as adults, men may actually have fewer options that may not be representative of what they really want. Girls, despite the challenges they face, are often encouraged to “break the mold” and pursue interests, careers, and roles that are more stereotypically male. Meanwhile, boys are rarely rewarded for taking on roles more often associated with the feminine.