‘What exactly is the problem here?’: Elon Musk’s ambiguously misogynistic post sparks online debate about higher education
Elon Musk once said that college education is “somewhat overweighted.” Now he appears worried about men being outpaced by women in higher education.
In an X (formerly Twitter) post, Musk retweeted an infographic depicting that for every 142 women, 100 men will graduate college in the United States. The post points out that more women are obtaining higher education degrees than men. Musk captioned the infographic he reposted with “Quite a big difference,” sparking an intense debate on social media.
Responding to Musk directly, one user wrote, “What exactly is the problem here?” In response, another user argued that the gender gap in education can cause societal problems, writing “It suggests that our education system is leaving men behind. Which means there will be a problem.” Notably, they didn’t explain what this problem might entail. The OP then retaliated, explaining that women were historically left behind by education too, and that people never seemed to be as concerned by this as men are now.
Meanwhile, others joked that despite Elon Musk’s general disdain for feminism and wide-ranging equality, he actually does want Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies to be implemented when it comes to men’s educational prospects.
It almost seems hypocritical to want equality only when it benefits the gender Musk roots for. It’s odd for Musk to care about this issue when he’s been vocal about preferring technical jobs over ones that require college degrees.
It’s not like he’s added crucial analysis concerning the chart he showed. Musk merely pointed out the obvious. More men are not finishing a college degree. Will Musk think of ways to even the playing field? Or is this just a point of grievance he won’t do anything about? The latter seems more fitting.
In the grand scheme of things, men and women are both struggling to afford further schooling because of mounting student debt. According to the Pew Research Center, however, men are more likely to say they “just didn’t want” to get a college degree. This phenomenon may also have to do with Gen Z weighing whether a college degree is worth it.
It wasn’t until 1837 that women in the U.S. could obtain higher education. Even then, women were often placed under heavier supervision to preserve traditional femininity or refused admission to co-ed schools. Seeing women having a higher likelihood of completing their college education is inspiring, given the historical constraints they were saddled with. Men aren’t being prevented from pursuing higher education by the law or social expectations. There’s still opportunity aplenty (for those who can afford it, at least).
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