It's not just US thing, similar widening gender gap can be seen also here in Finland (probably rest of Europe as well), despite us having free education.
As far as I can see, many master's degrees are not worth today it even if you pay no tuition fees. Many blue-collar jobs like plumbing pay better nowadays than your average humanities, social sciences etc job, with equal or better job security and only 3 years of studying instead of 8. So, avoiding higher education can be the rational choice.
In addition, there are major flaws in how students are handled nowadays. Teachers simply have no authority to punish bad behavior, and it seems restless boys suffer the most from this in educational outcomes. The system is increasingly designed only for kids who enjoy school and perform well even without supervision.
Personally I had no trouble with school, but I'm still not convinced that CS degree was the right choice instead of plumbing or something similar. The job market sucks for everyone except senior software devs.
As far as I can see, many master's degrees are not worth today it even if you pay no tuition fees. Many blue-collar jobs like plumbing pay better nowadays than your average humanities, social sciences etc job, with equal or better job security and only 3 years of studying instead of 8. So, avoiding higher education can be the rational choice.
In addition, there are major flaws in how students are handled nowadays. Teachers simply have no authority to punish bad behavior, and it seems restless boys suffer the most from this in educational outcomes. The system is increasingly designed only for kids who enjoy school and perform well even without supervision.
Personally I had no trouble with school, but I'm still not convinced that CS degree was the right choice instead of plumbing or something similar. The job market sucks for everyone except senior software devs.