Some colleges are practicing 'affirmative action' for boys, since more girls apply, education experts say

Article here. Excerpt:

'Researchers have been sorting out a paradox for decades: If US employers favor men with a college degree, why is that demographic shrinking?

New data from the National Student Clearinghouse, a nonprofit research group, suggests that the gender gap in higher education is the highest it's ever been: Men made up just 40% of college students during the 2020-21 school year, while women made up around 60%. Men also accounted for more than 70% of the decline in students at US colleges and universities over the last five years.

In an attempt to keep the gender ratio somewhat even in their student bodies, some private colleges are now accepting a higher portion of their male applicants than their female ones, the Wall Street Journal recently reported.
...
The reasons for this admissions discrepancy are manifold, but education researchers cite two factors in particular. First, the US education system prioritizes rule-following and organization over active learning, and second, there's a shortage of male teachers and college counselors — particularly men of color. Neither of those factors is new, but changes in the labor market over the last four decades have given them new significance.'