In seeking to explain the paucity of males in tertiary education institutions and management positions in Jamaica, this first in a five-part series of articles assesses the statistical underpinnings of the claim that there is indeed a dearth of males in these critical institutions in Jamaica and that males are underperforming relative to females.

Based on statistical data provided by the International Labour Organization (ILO), females account for most of the managerial positions in Jamaica. Further research by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (Statin) has also highlighted that males have a low matriculation rate in Jamaica’s tertiary education institutions. These two phenomena seem to be connected, as the relative lack of males in tertiary education institutions may possibly feed into the lower number of males in managerial positions.

Data from the World Bank (2020) highlighted a 20 per cent attendance rate of males at the tertiary level in Jamaica as of 2015. Furthermore, the ILO (2018) highlighted that approximately two in five managers in the country are male. Taken together, these two statistics illustrate a low number of males in higher education institutions and that the same could be inferred for managerial positions in the working environment.

These data highlighted two principal phenomena that served as the basis of research I did in 2020. On the one hand, the data showed that fewer males were matriculating to the tertiary level of education than their female counterparts. On the other hand, there seemed to be a lower presence of males in managerial positions in both the private and public sectors.

Without sufficient explanation to the contrary, these postulations can present an image of male underachievement; however, such a conclusion would be misleading, as deducing the phenomena of male underachievement is dependent on more variables than just matriculation rates. In some instances it may be socially constructed.

The low male presence in the universities indicates that fewer males are gaining qualifications at the university level in Jamaica, which would likely lead to these lesser-qualified males not being given managerial positions in the workplace. A pertinent question that must be asked is whether males are more likely to go into the non-professional sector than the professional sector. This might justify the statistics showing that fewer males are studying at universities.

A related question could then be whether or not the Jamaican education system actually facilitates male learning. One must, therefore, be careful in drawing the conclusion that male under-representation at the university level reflects male underachievement.

The phenomenon of male under-representation in tertiary education and managerial positions must ideally be analysed as a social issue in Jamaica. Several authors have commented on this phenomenon within this context, generally. Hadjar, Krolak-Schwerdt, Priem, and Glock (2014) noted that the problem of imbalances in educational outcomes for males is related to the stereotypes related to what they each should study, while Nagaraj (2014) argued that a deficiency in educational attainment among males in the workforce would hinder the realisation of the full potential of the economy. However, there is little literature that supports that this type of stereotyping is related to the under-representation of males in managerial positions in Jamaica.

According to the data, low male enrolment at the tertiary level and, consequently, low retention and graduation rates may lead to a decimation of the talent pool. Whereas the former may indeed lead to the latter, more exploration needs to be done on this phenomenon. The low rates of male retention and graduation from tertiary education institutions may have negative implications for the country’s macroeconomic growth in general, as suggested by Nagaraj (2014).

In the Jamaican context, the macroeconomic situation is even more perverse, possibly exacerbated by this phenomenon of male underperformance. The Jamaica Productivity Centre (JPC) reported that Jamaican labour productivity had declined by an average of nearly 1.5 per cent per year (Labor Market Dynamics, 2018), meaning the average Jamaican worker has been progressively contributing less to national economic wealth. This situation is not only untenable, but unsustainable.

Moreover, the Jamaican gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate was reported to be two per cent for 2018 and had averaged roughly one per cent for the last 40 years. This was below the desired target of five per cent, and the required eight per cent needed to significantly transform the economy, according to the Economic Growth Council (EGC) (2016) of Jamaica. This confluence of factors could be accounted for by low organisational growth and could be the result of several factors, including inadequately skilled and competent employees and suitable government policies to address the situation.

Additionally, at the tertiary level, studies have shown that the ratio of females to males was almost six to one (85:15), while in management, up to 80 per cent of the team were typically made up of females (UNESCO, as cited in Hurtado, 2021). These figures demonstrate that there is a low number of males in tertiary institutions and the workforce.

While it cannot be guaranteed that more male presence in tertiary education institutions will cause an increase in economic performance, the disparity and under-representation of males can be reviewed as a phenomenon requiring further analysis and explanation.

This situation should be treated as more than just a problem in need of a resolution, but rather an unusual phenomenon that necessitates additional explanation and understanding.

Part Two in this series will explore the role of socialisation in helping to achieve these imperatives.

Dr Jacqueline Coke Lloyd is a transformational leader and managing director of MYM Group Limited. She is a people, organisational, and middle manager development professional. She is also the founder of Young Entrepreneurs Association, national productivity ambassador, speaker, author, and adjunct professor. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or jackiecokelloyd@gmail.com.