The purpose of this exploratory study is to examine how gender shapes women’s college-going behaviors in an urban district attempting to remedy racial and economic inequities in college access. Using case study methodology, we examined the experiences of 22 racially diverse women students and 18 institutional agents at three high schools—one magnet and two nonmagnet. Our findings underscore how magnet and nonmagnet designation can shape women’s academic measures (instrumental in their college-going behaviors) and postsecondary enrollment plans. Also, we highlight five factors the participants identified as shaping women’s college-going behaviors, including: psychosocial development, cultural and family obligations, motherhood, postsecondary institutional characteristics, and careers and fields of study. Understanding women’s college-going behaviors has implications for high school counselors concerned with college access equity for low-income, racially-/ethnically-minoritized women.
Ives, J. & Nienhusser, H. K. (2023). The influence of gender on women’s college-going behaviors in an urban school context. The High School Journal, 105(4), 247–272. https://doi.org/10.1353/ hsj.2022.a899826