Despite improved access to higher education for women, the distribution of women and men varies considerably between different fields of study. The chapters in this edited collection explore the participation status of women in higher education across the varying socio-economic and sociological backgrounds observed in different countries and regions.
Diving into the differing social and state intervention policies, individual motives of participation and additional gender inequalities including regional and ethnic disparities, this book offers readers a better understanding of the drivers of gendered trends in higher education, such as the evidently low presence of women in certain scientific and technical disciplines. The analysis focuses on the social construction of gender differences, as well as the roles played by the economy, culture, religion, legal background, and the internal dynamics of society. Ultimately, this book provides a comprehensive overview of recent developments concerning the presence of women in higher education in both developed and developing countries, resulting in a clear picture of the current situation, and how the future might look.
Chapter 1. A Difficult Balance: Policies on Gender Imbalances in the Higher Education Student Population in Flanders;
Kurt De Wit, Tom Bekers Chapter 2. Gender in Higher Education: Portuguese Landscape; Elisa Chaleta, João Pissarra , Jorge Correia Jesuíno
Chapter 3. Girls in French Higher Education: Real progress despite persistent inequalities in scientific and technological fields; Christine Fontanini, Saeed Paivandi
Chapter 4. Gender and Higher Education: The Greek case; Georgios Stamelos , Georgia Eleni Lempesi
Chapter 5. Italy: Gender Segregation and Higher Education; Chiara Biasin , Gina Chianese
Chapter 6. Gender and Higher Education: The Hungarian case; Istvan Polonyi, Tamas Kozma
Chapter 7. Gender and Higher education in Spain: A Changing and Hopeful Landscape; Alejandra Montané López, José Beltrán Llavador, Daniel Gabaldón-Estevan
Chapter 8. Girls Orientation in Science Based Higher Education: The Case of Côte d’Ivoire; Nobah Céline Sidonie Koco Epse Kacou-Wodjé
Chapter 9. Feminization of Japanese Higher Education and Career Pathway: From “Interruption” to “Upward Mobility”; Yukari Matsuzuka
Chapter 10. Women in Higher Education in India: Historical Influences, Contemporary Narratives, and the way ahead; K.M. Joshi, Kinjal V. Ahir
Chapter 11. Feminization of Higher Education in Iran: Paradoxes and Complexities; Saeed Paivandi, Yasmin Nadir
Chapter 12. Women’s Empowerment Through Higher Education: The Case of Bangladesh; Rumana Ahmed, Nelia Hyndman-Rizk
Chapter 13. Women's access to Brazilian Higher Education: The Case of the Federal University of Santa Catarina; Silvana Rodrigues de Souza Sato, Mariele Martins Torquato, Ione Ribeiro Valle
Chapter 14. Access and Gender Equity in Colombian Higher Education: From Aspirations to Success; Lina Uribe-Correa, Aldo Hernández-Barrios
Chapter 15. Women in Canadian Higher Education: The Paradox of Gender Parity and Equity; Shirin Abdmolaei, Goli M. Rezai-Rashti
Christine Fontanini is Professor in the Department of Education at the University of Lorraine, France. Her research interests focus on post-secondary orientation of students and the relationship between gender and education.
K.M. Joshi is Professor of Economics of Higher Education in the Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University, India. His research interests include governance and equity in higher education, higher education reforms and private higher education.
Saeed Paivandi is Professor at the University of Lorraine, France. His areas of research and specialisation are sociology of education, higher education policy, learning and teaching in higher education and adult education.