Report 2008:20 R

Men and women in higher education

The gender split in post-16 education has changed relatively little during the last ten years. Girls participate in preparatory study programmes for higher education to a greater degree than boys. There is a gender split along traditional lines within vocational programmes.

Girls perform better than boys in post-16 education, more girls fulfil the general entry requirements for higher education, and greater numbers enter higher education within three years of having completed their post-16 education.

In higher education, female and male students choose different programmes and specialisations. During the last ten years women have dominated several study programmes. In seven out of ten broad subject areas, there are more female than male students who graduate and male students are only dominant in technical subjects. The graduation rate for women is higher in almost all the study programmes leading to vocational or professional qualifications. In recent years, women have also strengthened their position in the most prestigious study programmes.

The dominance of women in undergraduate programmes is not reflected in doctoral studies. However, the proportion of women undertaking doctoral studies has increased and in 2007 was 49%. There are more men than women on all doctoral programmes except at the Swedish UniversityofAgricultural Sciences. 24% of doctoral students are from abroad and without these the proportion of women among new doctoral students would be greater.

The gender gap becomes more noticeable the further up the academic hierarchy one goes. Only 18% of professors are female. If the proportion of women gaining professorships continues to increase, it is calculated that 31% will be female by 2030: 43% in the Humanities and Social Sciences and 5% in the Natural Sciences and Technological Sciences.

The gender split within higher education is reflected on the labour market. There are only four professions with an equal gender split. Men have higher salaries than women in all professions. The salary differences are greatest for those with at least three years of post-secondary education.
 
Swedish equality in higher education is neither particularly equal nor particularly Swedish. The results of this survey cannot be an expression of men and women´s individual choices but rather the result of tenacious cultural and power structures that we all consciously or unconsciously help to uphold. This report is intended to lead to a discussion among teachers, students and politicians about how these structures should be tackled in every area and on every level.