Women lead the pack in academia

IN SOUTH Africa, more women graduate with degrees than men and, globally, more adult women tend to pursue their studies online than their male peers.

This trend in tertiary education has been consistent across South Africa’s mainstream universities for the past decade; and is in fact an international phenomenon, the IMM Graduate School has found in its research into the topic.

And when looking into sex considerations in online learning, a paper from Stanford University in the US, found that: “In many countries over the past 10 years, mature (over age 40 years), single-parent, minority, and low-income women have become the largest group among adult learners. Increasing numbers of these women are studying online, and in some countries, females constitute the majority of online learners.”

Women students online are more willing to reach out to their lecturers and trainers, as well as participate in online discussions, than in a classroom environment. This is often due to sexbased role socialisation, where male voices tend to be more dominant in a classroom setting.

Researchers concluded that women, therefore, experience deeper learning in online courses than in face-to-face courses.

In fact, universities need to ensure sex equality in teaching staff and classes taught by women, as well as making sure to include powerful role models to attract more women to their tertiary courses and degrees.

More than 76% of degree-granting institutions across the world are now offering some kind of online learning, making career-related education and retraining more accessible to all, as well as enabling entire industries to upskill and react quickly to challenges.

The increase in online learning due to the Covid-19 pandemic has provided more opportunities to more students. Research and Markets forecasts the online education market as $350 billion by 2025, which predicts further growth in this market. Growth is also attributed to the fact that online institutions are often more flexible in their learning approaches and can offer the latest developments in industries, as well as provide varying payment options.

According to the Higher Education Policy Institute in the UK, higher education offers women studying further opportunities to counteract existing sex inequalities in the workplace, as well as within academic institutions. During pandemic lockdowns around the world, women were most affected by the imbalance in caring responsibilities and with fewer opportunities in the labour market globally, the gender pay gap could grow further for women graduates.

The 2019 Education Report published by Best Colleges, showed that more than half (59%) of online students surveyed had children, so fitting education around work and family commitments has become as important as the flexibility of online learning. Best Colleges found that many women chose online education over in-person classes to better balance work and family.

Improving the sex pay gap for women in business, as well as creating better working environments in which women are allowed to nurture their careers, including studying further while employed to increase their knowledge assets, is key for employers too. This is where online education makes it somewhat easier to pursue additional training and career development. “The IMM has a significant number of students from the SADC region, many of whom are women looking to further their careers,” said Dr Cecelia Rosa, dean of learning and teaching.

The IMM, which has been a specialist in distance learning for marketers since 1960 with students from around the world, has invested in online learning opportunities, such as marketing and supply chain certificate degrees, B Com honours, and a marketing masters’ degree.

In the US in 1831, Mississippi College became the first coeducational college to grant a degree to a woman. In the 150 years that women have been allowed to enter formal tertiary education, many challenges remain, which is why more women are choosing to study online.