Why Does Jane Read and Write so Well? The Anomaly of Women's Achievement

Numerous studies have found that women's academic achievement not only equals but often surpasses that of men. In this society, in which educational credentials are linked to jobs, promotions, wages, and status, women's educational accomplishments appear anomalous because women continue to receive far fewer rewards for their educational credentials than do men with comparable credentials. In view of the limited rewards that women are likely to receive for education, why do they do as well and attain as much education as they do? This article examines the anomaly of women's achievement in light of four hypotheses and presents empirical evidence to assess each hypothesis. Attention is paid throughout to racial and class differences in women's lived experiences in the opportunity structure. Finally, directions for future research are suggested. The evidence is in and the conclusion is clear: Women can and do achieve academically as well as do men. The myth of female underachievement has been exposed by many studies that have indicated that women's motivation and behavior to achieve not only equal but often surpass that of men (Klein 1985; Maccoby and Jacklin 1974; National Center for Educational Statistics 1986; Stockard 1985; Stockard and Wood 1984; U.S. Bureau of the Census 1987). Today, as in the past, more girls than boys graduate from high school and more women than men receive baccalaureate degrees,' and nationwide, women now outnumber men in master's degree programs. More men than women are enrolled only in professional and Ph.D. programs, but even here, the gaps between women and men are closing (National Center for Educational Statistics 1986; Stockard et al. 1980). Fields of specialization continue to be gender linked-mathematics, engineering, and the physical and biological sciences are dominated by males, and the social sciences and humanities are dominated by femalesbut evidence from a study of undergraduates indicates that differences are disappearing here, too (Hafner and Shaha 1984).