Gender Gap in Higher Education

Skills for Study

Pr.Sally Waddingham

Individual Report

T0203122

Word Count = 1207

Introduction        3

Background        4

France        4

India        6

Presentation of factors and issues        8

Traditions and Stereotypes        8

Comparison of factors and issues        9

France        9

India        10

Conclusions and recommendations        11

Bibliography        12

Introduction

The following report will examine the issue of gender gap in higher education, indeed there is an injustice occurring: Women are less fortunate to rich high school especially in developing countries.  

According to Cambridge dictionary, gender gap is actually a difference between the way men and women are treated in society, or between what men and women do and achieve. Whereas, based on the same source, developed countries such as France have a lot of industrial activity and people usually with high incomes. By opposite, Oxford dictionary states that developing countries like India are poor and agricultural seeking to become more advanced economically and socially.  

In our subject we are going to develop the background informations than the specific factors and the issues that affect man and women access to higher education before comparing all of them. Finally, we will conclude and make some recommendations to tackle this issue.

Background

France

France had a GDP per capita of $3.061 trillion in October 2019(1), concerning its Human Devolvement Index value we observe 0.901 over 1.(2) In the case of its life expectancy at birth, the value reach 82.7 years.(2)  

If women form a majority among students, as the study level increase more and more their part diminish.(3) [pic 1]

                            Part of Man and Women at University (4) 

In all of the mixed up levels, male and female students don’t follow the same subjects: females tend to favor language or social and human science courses, by contrast males favor fundamental sciences. (3)

[pic 2]

     Part of Man and Women at University following the subject (5) 

France is globally a non religious and an atheist society(6), with 83% of the population living in cities.(7) In term of employment, there is an inequality between cities and countryside but also within the cities.(7) In addition, the migration phenomenon which is moving from countryside to cities or from a city to another induce a dissociation of work and living places.  

India

India had a GDP per capita of $2.936 trillion in October 2019(8), concerning its Human Devolvement Index value we observe 0.640 over 1.(9) About its life expectancy at birth, the value is 69 years.(10)  

The gender gap in Higher Education in India have lowered from 1983 to 2005.

[pic 3]

Gender Gap and Disparity in Gross Enrolment Ratios in Higher Education (11)

The doctor Kalyani Bondre informs us that Indian family that are large usually cannot sustain the education for all the children, they tend to give the preference to the male child when they have to choose the educational opportunities. In fact, these difference start during school, with way more girls dropping out than boys.(12)[pic 4]

Gender Inequality in Higher Education: Gross Attendance Ratio (GAR) (13)

India is a very religious country, 79.8% of the population are Hindu.(14)  Its rural population constitute 66.46%.(15) There were 1.27 billion Indian in 2011 with a sex ratio of 94 females to 100 males, India has also the largest number of higher education institutions in the world.(14)

Presentation of factors and issues

Traditions and Stereotypes

The origin of this inequality between men and woman have very old basis, it is religion. Whether it is christianity or islam, there is a différenciation between genders with non equals rights. The christian women have a very precise role, she exists to procreate and she is submitted to her husband. Also, in the islamic religion woman can’t lead the prayer nor pray with man in mosques. Indeed, values are transmitted by agents of socialisation and generate stereotypes such as girls playing with dolls and boys playing with cars. There are still some preconceived ideas like “woman are less smart than man”, “woman don’t know how to read a road map” or “man like to fight”. Those idea are not based on any scientific evidences, they come from 19 century studies based on racist and misogynist suppositions. (16)

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