The gender gap in educational expectations among youth in the foster care system

a r t i c l e i n f o Youth in the foster care system are at greater risk for a host of aversive outcomes including diminished educational performance and attainment. While these issues are well-documented, less is known about gender differences on academic outcomes for these students. Over the past three decades, women have overtaken men in college attendance and post-secondary degree attainment. Research suggests that this gender gap may be greater among marginalized groups, including youth emerging from the foster care system. Using data from a statewide sample of adolescents in foster care, the current study explores the effect of gender on educational expectations and measures gender differences in college efficacy, academic functioning, and preparation for post-secondary education. After controlling for race/ethnicity and grade level, logistic regression models showed the females in foster care reported more than twice the likelihood of achieving a Bachelor's or graduate degree. Comparisons between genders revealed that females had higher reported academic performance than males, with males making greater gains in educational expectations after participating in a college access program. Limitations and suggestions for future research and action are discussed. Over the past three decades, a stunning crossover has occurred in college attainment between the genders. While male college enrollment has increased by 55% since 1970, female enrollment has increased by 195%, more than three and a half times the male rate of increase (National Center for Education Statistics, 2009). In 2008, females comprised 57% of the college population and out-gained males receiving Bachelor's degrees by eight percentage points, a gap that continues to widen (National Center for Education Statistics, 2010). These trends are not isolated within the United States, but have also been observed in other developed nations (Goldin, Katz, & Kuziemko, 2006). Several explanations have been given for the cross-over that has created a gap between gender groups in educational enrollment and attainment. For example, the changing societal norms and expectations of women may be partially responsible for the increase in educational pursuit by females (Goldin et al., 2006). Another prominent argument considers the premium, or expected returns, for those who obtain a college degree, suggesting that females may stand to gain more than males from their investment in college education Not only are gender gaps growing in educational attainment as a whole, these gaps are more extreme in low-income and minority populations (Jacob, 2002). For example, the gap …