While the gender gap has obvious effects onblack women, black men say they are affected inequally serious ways.
Although there may be advantages to being amongthe chosen ones, it can also be disheartening. Forblack men, the question arises, what has happenedto the others?
"Those black men who aren't in college may bein the criminal justice system, underemployed orunemployed, or simply very bright people who justhave not been given the opportunity to show theycan earn a college degree," says Black StudentsAssociation Vice President Jason B. Phillips '99."It's another problem that black people on campushave to confront and try to solve in the largersociety."
Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III says thegender gap has been around for decades.
"It was the trend when I went to college 30years ago," Epps says. "It has to do with thechoices black men are making. When I was inschool, men had to work. Now, they're facingdifferent obstacles to education."
Alleyne says she noticed different academicpressures on males when she was in high school.Black men can be accused of "acting white" orselling out. Some are genuinely afraid of losingtheir identity by going to a mostly whiteuniversity.
"There's a lot more pressure on males to dothings that aren't conducive to doing well inschool, whereas with girls there's not the wholemacho thing about being tough, cutting class, andnot getting your work done," says Alleyne.
Like a majority of the black students atHarvard, Kenny N. Ebie '01 went to a majoritywhite high school. Even so, he said he still feltthe same pressures Alleyne cited.
"After school is out at 3:30, you still have toface the expectations of society and of yourpeers," Ebie said. "The only thing that assistedme was the fact that I was surrounded at school bypeople who shared my motivations."
Thompson Professor of Government Martin Kilsonalso places responsibility on society as a whole.
"The black female has always been a moretolerable interface with white America," Kilsonsays. "Plus, the feminist movement has helpedthem, while there's been no such encouragement forblack males from the white male sector."
Kilson also mentioned the historical traditionof black women in the workforce and education,noting that up until recent years, the number ofworking black women has far outpaced white women.
"Black women have always worked and gone toschool, and it's no different now," Kilson says."It's the classic crisis of the urban black male,matched with the fact that the adjustment of blackmales to the post-industrial age has been moredifficult than it has been for women."
Phillips says the lack of males is a little bitof everything--including societal and economicpressures and choices of the males themselves.Regardless of the reasons, it's a big problem.
"Increasing the enrollment rates of black menwould involve improving many other aspects of oursociety," says Phillips, who is a Crimson editor."If I had the answer to that question already, wemight not be having this discussion."
Women MenU.S. 62.3% 37.7%Harvard '01 59.7% 41.3%Harvard '02 61.9% 38.1%*Harvard figures represent admitted students, notthose enrolled.