In the world of generalizations and stereotypes, nothing is left untouched, including college majors.

Stereotypically, women often choose a major that deals with children or other delicate issues that will help her in the home, and men often choose a manly major that involves hard labor or deals greatly with technology.

But it just so happens that once in a while these stereotypes get thwarted. That’s when society starts finding men in majors dealing with children and women in majors that involve technology.

It’s not that women don’t have the capacity to deal with technology or labor. It’s that numerically, more men choose technology or labor related professions than women.

Two of the most prevalently gender-dominated majors at BYU-Idaho are the female-dominated family and consumer education, and the male-dominated automotive technology major.

In the family and consumer education major there are 94 women and one man. In the automotive technology major there are 66 men and one woman, according to the Office of Institutional Research & Assessment.

For a single male or female, these are fairly good ratios to help with searching for that eternal companion.

“It’s good to be surrounded by the opposite sex,” said Ben Hyde, a junior from Memphis, Tenn.

Hyde is an elementary education major, where men are outnumbered by women at BYU-I 39 to 721.

Though the ratios are good and classes more pleasant, he doesn’t get very many dates from his major, Hyde said.

“I’ve never gone out with any of the girls in my class,” he said.

It’s a little awkward if something goes wrong on a date and you have to see them in class for the rest of the semester, Hyde said.

Others in gender-dominated majors agree with Hyde.

Brant Crowther, a junior from Burbank, Wash., and an elementary education major, said he’s only been on a couple of dates with girls from his major as well.

Some women have about the same amount of luck in male-dominated majors.

“In my major I’ve only had about one date,” said Suzanne Bragg, a junior from Medford Ore.

Bragg is a construction management major. There are 13 women in construction management and 337 men.

“One of the perks of my major is I’m one of the only girls. A downfall is that [the men] are all pretty much married,” Bragg said.

Although Jamie Hanson, a junior from San Jose, Calif., recently switched majors to a less male-dominated major for reasons unassociated with gender, she agrees with Bragg that most of the men in her major are already married.

Hanson was an information systems major where there are 12 women and 157 men.

Another pitfall to being in a gender-dominated major is others may make fun of you or look down on you.

“There are a lot of people that look down on you. My roommates will make fun of me and talk about my finger-painting emphasis,” Crowther said.

When Hyde meets people and tells them what his major is, they usually don’t believe him.

“They’re usually like, ‘No really, what is it?” Hyde said.