Job Discussion Forums

[lollaerd]

Is this happening in other Gulf countries? It's becoming a major social problem as better education girls don't want husbands who aren't their educational equals.


Education gender gap widens
By Anwar Elshamy
Although describing it as a �positive and healthy social change�, a study warned against the growing gender gap favouring Qatari females in secondary and higher education, saying that such disparity should be examined.
The Qatar Populations 2009 Study, conducted by the Permanent Population Committee, showed that the education gender gap which had been in favour of men for a long time was recently reversed as Qatari women are now more likely to enroll in universities than men.
For each 100 male students enrolled in higher education in 2005-2006, a total of 194 females joined the same level, according to the study.
�This is unprecedented situation referring to a social transformation that took place in the community in terms of women empowerment in education. It is a desired and a recommended factor for development,� the study said.
However, the study recommended that further surveys should be conducted to examine the reasons behind the declining number of males joining university and secondary education.
�No real development can be achieved with a widening gender gap whether in favour of female or males,� the study concluded.
About the gender gap in secondary education, the study showed that for each 100 male students there were 108 females in 2007.

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=333065&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16

[basiltherat]

Interesting. It is hoped , of course, that women will not be restricted (through HE legislation) entrance to higher education - such as quotas - in order to resolve this disparity - if it is indeed necessary.

Rather, it should be regarded as a challenge to men to show rather more initiative, enthusiasm and creatvity to compete with them for places.

best
basil

[norwalkesl]

[veiledsentiments]

This has been happening all around the Gulf for quite a few years now. Entry to university is based on the scores of their school leaving exams. A bit of a generalization... but: The girls uninterested in education (or unable) drop out young and marry... the best and brightest go on as long as they can. For them it is a chance to get out of the house every day. A large proportion of them are there more for socializing than studying. But, most of them will work hard for the right to stay. The boys already have the freedom to get out and about and many would rather play football and cruise the corniche in their fast cars than study. In countries that provide their citizens with everything (including wedding dowries), they lose "earning a living" as a motivating factor for education.

Ten years ago the Kuwait Faculty of Medicine classes usually had about 20 women to 5 men. Quotas had already been installed there... the men got in with much lower scores than the women... and the disparity remained. (the repeat classes for those that failed each semester normally included most of the men) SQU in Oman has been majority women for quite a few years now.

Of course another factor is that the top male students often get sent overseas to study... or their family sends them overseas. The women usually don't have that option.

VS

[15yearsinQ8]

i think you all are misreading the stats
college educated women , yes, tend to want college educated men NOT for the intellectual stimulation but for the paycheck
technical college educated men will take the same or lower educated women
men and women tend to stay in their economic classes

the reason there are more women than men at kuwait university college of medicine is that men are more likely to go to medical school abroad

[norwalkesl]