An Ominous Imbalance

This New York Times piece provides an update on an ominous trend -- the gender imbalance in higher education. There are fewer men in college, their grades aren't as good, they take longer to graduate, and they study less.
Why, exactly, is this happening?

As the fabulous Christina Hoff Sommers has pointed out, the myth of girls being shortchanged in school has, in essence, been used to justify the creation of a feminized academic environment from grade school on. As a result, boys, as she puts it, truly have become the "second sex" when it comes to school.

It's worth pointing out that this trend echoes the gender imbalance that's become evident in patterns of church-going, as well. And again, the reasons are analogous. So many church services have become largely feminized -- with far too little in the way of robust, masculine Christianity (no more "Onward, Christian Soldiers!", and not just for political reasons . . .) and much more of the softer, more emotional approach that many women prefer.

It's hard to blame boys and men for their lack of attraction to feminized environments, which increasingly include the school and the church -- I'm a girl, and I wouldn't want to hear about "throwing a touchdown pass" in my spiritual life, for example. And it's ironic that, even as feminist theory has insisted that there are no meaningful differences between men and women, it's likewise been used to change the enivronment in both school and church -- not to even the playing field, but to tilt it against our husbands, sons, fathers, brothers and friends.