Professor Nadia Sanger of the Department of English Studies at Stellenbosch University discusses how self respect needs to be thought about differently. PHOTO: Britannie Hohls
“Where are the boys?” was the question raised at a recent discussion hosted by Stellenbosch University (SU). The ratio of men to women studying in higher education is astoundingly skewed, with registration at SU this year being 75% female.
Professor Vasti Roodt, dean of Humanities and professor in the philosophy department at SU, shared striking statistics on the ratio of men to women across the university’s faculties.
The disparities are significant: the faculty of medicine and health sciences has 22% male students, science 38%, and law 24%, while humanities has fewer than 30% male students. Commerce and agricultural sciences have roughly equal gender ratios. Engineering has a male majority at 62%, although it has seen a noticeable increase in the intake of women compared to last year.
Professor Nadia Sanger, a professor in the English department at SU, made an important observation that not all men have access to higher education, nor are interested in it, which brought about a question of value.
“If we don’t value the kinds of other work that men have been doing, like plumbing, like building– that kind of work makes sure that systems and structures and societies run. “Self respect needs to be thought about differently,” said Sanger, as she stressed that it cannot only be attributed to people with degrees.
Higher education gives you skills and knowledge, and exposes you to new ideas and helps to situate yourself in the wider world, explained Roodt. “Human beings enjoy exercising their capabilities.” By this, Roodt explained that higher education gives people the opportunity to challenge themselves – an important foundation for developing self-assurance and self-worth.
Graph of percentages of male and female students across faculties at SU. INFOGRAPHIC: Britannie Hohls
Sanger continued the conversation by speaking about male teachers, self respect, and the pressure many men feel to provide.
“Boys are not doing very well in the classroom,” said Sanger. She spoke about having a son, and how that has shaped her view on masculinity.
Speaking about young boys at school, Sanger said, “We are not going to see a change any time soon in terms of seeing more male teachers.” It is important for young boys to have male teachers whom they can connect with, she explained.
Roodt said that 66% of the SU lecturers are women, with women also making up a growing proportion of the number of professors. She noted that, globally, men are increasingly absent from higher education. “My view is that this systematic, extraordinary skewing of higher education towards women is bad. It’s bad for individual boys and men, and is also bad for society,” she said.
The talk was also hosted by Professor Kopano Ratele, a psychology professor at SU. He emphasised that in psychology, “representation matters” when it comes to men in the field.
Ratele also unpacked the question “Where are the boys?”, explaining that it prompts a broader inquiry into “what has happened to masculinity as a social project”.
While the discussion celebrated the presence of women in the educational sphere, the lack of men will have a lasting effect on our society, the speakers agreed.
Professor Vasti Roodt (left) and Doctor Charla Smith (middle) have a discussion with an audience member after the “Where are the boys?” conversation. After the formal discussion had taken place, more informal conversations and further questions arose. PHOTO: Britannie Hohls