The number of female students going into higher education has been rising steadily for a number of years, due partly to the growing array of university courses offered and partly to changing cultural attitudes in emerging markets.
Women now account for the majority of tertiary education students worldwide: almost 52% of students were women in 2016, up from just under 51% in 2011. The percentage was especially high in Brazil, Australia and Italy (all 57%), but relatively low in South Korea and Japan (40% and 47%, respectively).
Although women have increasingly attained higher education enrolment and degrees, employment opportunities have not necessarily followed suit. For example, even in countries where female participation in higher education has been increasing significantly, the female employed population has not grown.
Download our free report extract Students of Tomorrow: Global Trends Driving Demand for Education to learn more about key trends in student demographics and behaviour.