Has it been a man’s world? Well, we can all unanimously say “Of course!”

There is no doubt that in the world, and namely the United States, male dominance has been the status quo. In the next few years as industries are seeming to shift into new paradigms and the U.S. strives to get out of its economic growing pains, women will be the ones on top. The thought of a man’s world will be antiquated, just like the notion of women staying home with the kids, or not being able to vote.

The key to influencing your environment is education. American women are quickly gaining the majority in enrollment rates and college graduates over men. According to the U.S. Department of Education, 96 percent of high school girls plan on attending college opposed to 90 percent of boys who say they will attend.

A study published in 2004 titled “Higher Education: Gaps and Persistence Study” also showed that three quarters of girls would attend college right after high school while only two thirds of males would immediately attend.

According to a recent report by the American Council on Education women account for 57 percent of all students enrolled nationwide. Locally, California State University, Fresno’s enrollment is about 59 percent women, with men’s enrollment rate trailing behind at 41 percent. This creates a giant head start for women, and leaves men crawling towards their educational career.

The cause for the disparaging numbers of men in college is a myriad of factors, but the ongoing shift of women’s roles in society are the biggest contributors.

Women are no longer expected to marry at a young age. More couples wait to marry until their careers are established, and this has ubiquitously changed the landscape for women in America. Waiting for marriage means waiting for kids, which in turn increases a woman’s chance of climbing up the socioeconomic ladder.

It’s an alarming and exciting trend that shows the barometer of power is shifting. Women’s strength in education serves as a conduit for women’s success in entering America’s workforce.

Many say that men still dominate the workplace. Although men still get paid more than women in same positions, we cannot ignore factors that indicate women’s growing role in the workforce.

Since the last recession, women are, for the first time in history, the majority of the workforce in America. This is due to men losing their jobs at a higher rate than women during the 2008 recession, with three quarters of the 8 million jobs lost were positions held by men. Besides men losing jobs, men are losing ground in adapting to the changing economic landscape.

Hana Rosin, a journalist and author of “The End of Men,” in a 2010 “The Atlantic” article writes:

“The post-industrial economy is indifferent to men’s size and strength. The attributes that are most valuable today—social intelligence, open communication, the ability to sit still and focus—are, at a minimum, not predominantly male.”

This idea of men not adapting to the times can be seen through countless industries, as women now taking the majority in accounting, banking, insurance and managerial jobs over men, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

However, I believe that the increase of women in middle and upper management will create a demand for more representation of that demographic in the top positions. In a few years, a Meg Whitman or a Indra Nooyi will no longer be the exception to the rule.

It still holds true that men get paid dramatically higher than women even if they have the same career or position. Although true in the majority of industries, this is seeing some progress from legislation.

In 2009, President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Act, which makes it easier for women to act against pay discrimination in the workplace. This, in turn, further pushes equal pay for their occupation. It isn’t going to end the gender discrepancy between wages, but it is another step in putting salaries on a equilibrium between genders.

So is it still a man’s world? Currently, yes. The media still perpetuates the tropes of women and still adheres to male dominance, but the shifts in education, economy and the workplace are happening quickly and soon that the world is anyone’s now, and I believe women will take it.