Wider HE access hampered by male-oriented courses

Young women are leaving school better qualified than their male counterparts - but relatively fewer are accepted into university. A case of discrimination?

Well, perhaps not, according to a new study of gender differences in the UK higher education market by economists at Manchester Metropolitan University.

The study identifies a lack of provision for women at sub-degree level, notably the Higher National Diploma (HND), around 8.6% of the HE market, and posits that is it this which precludes higher female participation. The findings, which have worrying implications for the Government's Widening Participation agenda, will be presented to the Royal Economic Society Conference in the Spring.

Professor of Economics Derek Leslie, who conducted the study, said: "We can explain the paradox that women are less likely to be accepted into HE, despite being better qualified.* It does not appear to be an issue of direct discrimination at the point of contact. But there are still fewer opportunities for women at the lower end of the scale."

Prof Leslie's findings are based on analysis of 2.3 million student applications to the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) over the period 1996-2001. He finds that women are better qualified than men and more apply to Higher Education Institutions than men.** Yet there is a lower acceptance rate for women - 76.8% compared with 78.4% for men.

The answer according to Professor Leslie, lies in the HND and potentially other sub-degree courses, such as the Foundation Degree. Here, the figures show that men are roughly twice as likely to be accepted. In figures, 10.7% of male applicants to Higher Education are accepted onto HND compared with just 6.6% of women.

HNDs are male oriented and dominated by the science and technology subjects. For instance, Mechanical Engineering, which attracts just 8.2% women. Nursing, which as a degree attracts 92.3% women, has virtually no provision at HND level, as are many others, with just 114 subjects on offer at HND compared to 170 at degree level. The female acceptance rate for 0-5 A-level points is around 4% lower than the male and GNVQ qualifications show a similar pattern, the study finds.

Professor Leslie said: "The statistics show that at degree level acceptance rates for women are higher and better female qualifications account for this. Yet at the lower end of the market women with low A-level point scores fail to find suitable courses in Higher Education.

"There is a key policy point here relating, in particular to the 2010 aspiration for 50% of young people to undertake HE. To widen access for women we need more lower tier courses that will appeal to women. If new provision merely duplicates what is currently on offer, this will further exacerbate the problem of recruiting lower ability women. "

The study also finds evidence of widening access. Acceptance rates show a steady upward trend 8% over the five-year period and people with poorer qualifications are now more likely to be accepted.

Ends

Contact Professor Derek Leslie, Department of Economics, Manchester Metropolitan University. T 0161 247 6495 d.leslie@mmu.ac.uk

See full paper Better qualified but a lower acceptance rate: does Higher Education discriminate against women?

* 37 % of women applicants (1996-2001) had more that 16 A-level points compared to 34% of men.

** Between 1996-2001 there were 1,099,786 male applicants and 1,230,441 female UK domiciled applications - Acceptances of 862,469 males and 944,613 females also reflect this imbalance.