Exploring the Gender Gap in Tertiary Education within South Africa

Abstract

Men in South Africa are enrolling in and graduating from university at progressively lower rates than women, resulting in a widening gender gap in tertiary education. This is concerning considering South Africa already has one of the world’s lowest tertiary education attainment rates, and extremely high unemployment rates. South Africa’s unemployment rates are significantly lower, however, amongst tertiary graduates. It is, therefore, necessary to explore why men are less likely than women to graduate from university, and to understand what factors contribute to the fact that, in South Africa, “females are always and everywhere 20% less likely to drop out of university” (Van Broekhuizen & Spaull, 2017, p. 28).

I am, therefore, conducting a qualitative study based in South Africa to gain insight into the reasoning behind men’s greater likelihood of withdrawing from university compared to women. The primary research question of this study is thus: “What is contributing towards the widening gender gap in tertiary education in South Africa?”. The two sub-questions therein, are: 1) “What motivates women to graduate from university in South Africa?”; and 2) “What motivates men to withdraw from university in South Africa?”.

Tinto’s (1975) Student Integration Theory serves as my theoretical framework, and I utilise thematic analysis for the methodology and semi-structured, one-on-one, Zoom interviews as the chosen data collection method. Purposeful sampling was utilised to recruit a diverse group of six interviewees working within, or in connection with, universities in South Africa.

In the findings of this study, women’s motivation to graduate is explained by women’s need to overcome gender discrimination in the workplace, women’s desire for financial independence from men, and women being socialised to be organised. Men’s motivation to withdraw is explained by men’s poor help-seeking behaviour, and men’s pressure to quickly become financial providers.

To potentially increase men’s university graduation rates, to reduce the gender gap in tertiary education and improve South Africa’s overall tertiary education attainment rates, it is recommended that boys be socialised to be organised and to ask for help, similar to girls. It is also recommended that universities establish male mentorship programmes and hire more male counsellors, to provide male students with male figures who can encourage help seeking behaviour to hopefully improve men’s poor mental health and their likelihood of graduating.