Affirmative Action for Men?: Strange Silences and Strange Bedfellows in the Public Debate Over Discrimination Against Women in College Admissions

Abstract

It is a not-so-well-kept secret that many colleges and universities discriminate against women in admissions. Believing that there are “too many” qualified women seeking admission, these schools resort to holding female applicants to higher academic standards than they hold male applicants. Title IX prohibits federally-funded public institutions as well as federally-funded private graduate schools and private professional schools from engaging in such discrimination. On the other hand, private undergraduate schools (regardless of whether they accept federal funding), are exempt from Title IX’s core prohibition on sex discrimination when it comes to admissions. In either case, however, this practice is certainly troubling. Why does it get so little attention?

Keywords: Affirmative action, college admissions, women, men, Title IX