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Journal in Humanities, ISSN: 2298-0245; e-ISSN: 2346-8289, Volume 8, Issue 1, 2019 _________________________________________________________________________________ Gender Inequality in Higher Education Teona TALIKADZE* Abstract The paper deals with issues concerning to gender inequality.

The article demonstrates problems of equity in American social life and higher education system.

Women are underrepresented in American colleges and universities.
They are practically excluded from the STEM fields due to lots of barriers or biases existing in American society.

Women employment and pay gap clearly reveal unequal treatments of people.

The problem is a global challenge so lots of international organizations are involved to eliminate the problem and advance more women.

Universities are also actively working to create inclusive environment on their campus, through division of students on the basis of gender is a fact.
Keywords: Equality, gender segregation, gender gap * Ph.D.

Candidate, Faculty of Education and Humanities, International Black Sea University, Tbilisi, Georgia.

E-mail: teona.talikadze@gmail.com SUPERVISOR: Irina BAKHTADZE, Affiliated Prof. Dr., Faculty of Education and Humanities, International Black Sea University, Tbilisi, Georgia.
E-mail: ibakhtadze@ibsu.edu.ge 79 Journal in Humanities, ISSN: 2298-0245; e-ISSN: 2346-8289, Volume 8, Issue 1, 2019 _________________________________________________________________________________ Introduction Since the first women were admitted to enroll in leadership positions and the fields of STEM.

Some American colleges and universities, a lot of stereotypes and barriers prevent women from movements have happened.
Higher education has pursuing their career in business, science or become more accessible for women.

Every year, technology.

Nowadays, we live in a modern society more and more women get degrees and actively that lacks of equitable environment.

Women are get involved in different fields of education.

underrepresented in colleges and universities.

However, men traditionally dominate in some fields Recent years, the number of graduate women has of education.
Women are practically excluded from risen but gender disparity has not been overcome Concept of Equality The terms “equality” (Gr.

isotes, Lat.

aequitas, aequalitas, Fr.

égalité, Ger.

Gleichheit), “equal,” and “equally” signify a qualitative relationship.
‘Equality’ (or ‘equal’) signifies correspondence between a group of different objects, persons, processes or circumstances that have the same qualities in at least one respect, but not all respects, i.e., regarding one specific feature, with differences in other features.

Equality implies similarity rather than ‘sameness’(Gosepath, 2001).
As for gender equality, equality between men and women, it entails the concept that all human beings are free to develop their personal abilities and make choices without the limitations set by stereotypes, rigid gender roles and prejudices.

Gender equality means that the different behavior, aspirations and needs of women and men are considered, valued and favored equally.

It does not mean that women and men have to yet.

As a result, gender equality remains one of the greatest challenges of the time.
considered equivalent in terms of rights, benefits, obligations and opportunities (Bot, 2018).

According to social division of gender, people in society are divided into two categories: men and women that have two different identities and social roles.

In other words, men and women are expected to think and act in certain different ways.

As in almost all societies, men’s roles are valued more than are women’s roles, gender also serves as a social status.
Sociologists define gender inequality as the difference in the status, power, prestige that women and men have in groups, communities, and societies.

Despite the advances that many women have made in the United States, gender inequality still persists.

There are various forms of gender inequality in the workplace, in education systems, and in politics.
Employment of Women in the Twentieth Century become the same, but that their rights, Employment of women in the US was quite low responsibilities and opportunities will not depend until the twentieth century.

If women labor was on whether they are born male or female.

primarily connected to child-rearing, it greatly Gender equity means fairness of changed after the expansion of the US economy.

treatment for women and men, according to their The number of working women increased respective needs.
This may include equal especially after the1960s.

Women began working treatment or treatment that is different, but which is outside the home, the marriage age declined and their educational attainment increased.
Women 80 Journal in Humanities, ISSN: 2298-0245; e-ISSN: 2346-8289, Volume 8, Issue 1, 2019 _________________________________________________________________________________ have paved the way to the jobs that were women take time out of the workforce to raise predominantly considered as the “men’s jobs”.

children (Friday & Reeves, 2017).

Women began to enter in the fields of law, medicine or technology.

Sociologists consider gender segregation as a cause of the pay gap in earnings.
Feminist Still, there are still some jobs that have less woman sociologists think that traditional biases existing in worker than men.

Women keep on choosing society often limit women career choices.

Some professions connected to art or humanities rather professions such as teaching or nursing are than technology and science (Giddens, Duneier, & regarded as compatible with “feminine” traits.

Appelbaum, 2005).
Appelbaum, 2005).

Another obstacle comes from discriminatory The wage gap is one factor that refers bosses or co-workers.

Women’s work is devalued gender inequality in workplaces, women are paid by society, that’s why they earn less than men for less than men.

According to the US Institute for their work.


Some women who entering professions Family Studies, research reveals that despite the are considered as “male” don’t get increase in pay higher educational attainment of married women, or promotion because of the “glass ceiling” which is they were still earning less than their a kind of barrier for them to get promoted.

One husbands.
One husbands.

Recent figures show that for every reason of those inequality is based on gender dollar earned by men, women earn just 80 cents.

stereotypes.

For example, males identify potential This is due in part to women tending to work in leaders as people like themselves.

Women are lower-paid industries, as well as a number of other assessed lower as they deviate from this norm.

factors including discrimination and bias in hiring (Cleveland, 1996 as cited in Anthony Giddens, and pay decisions.
This is often compounded when 2005) The graph below illustrates well a pay-gap between men and women.

Another factor that is characterized of Council on Education, less than a quarter of gender inequality is gender gap in educational American colleges and universities are led by systems such as the attendance of women and women.

The American Association of University men at colleges and positions held in higher Professors’ faculty gender equity indicators report education (Hu, 2015).
Sadly, women in different shows that women make up just 39 percent of full- positions at universities are still relegated to the time faculty nationally.

Men, on the other hand, status of a minority, as defined by sociologist make up 61 percent (Mokoro, 2012).

Richard T. Schaefer.


According to the American 81 Journal in Humanities, ISSN: 2298-0245; e-ISSN: 2346-8289, Volume 8, Issue 1, 2019 _________________________________________________________________________________ The fact of gender pay gap at the top Gender gap in education have changed in levels of higher education leadership is another the US lately but not greatly.

According to the proof of gender imbalance in higher education.
The Council of Graduate Schools’ CGS/GRE Graduate new research on women’s pay and representation Enrollment & Degrees: 2007-2017 report regarding in the top ranks of colleges and universities shows women at US universities to have earned more that female administrators in many other positions where women are more prevalent are paid doctoral degrees than men, In some fields, as substantially less than men in the same roles.
many as three-quarters of the PhDs awarded went Women hold more than half of the available jobs in to women, including public administration and only a handful of executive positions: human services (75.6%), health sciences (70.3%) and resources, libraries, public relations, institutional education (68.8%).

Women were also ahead of men in arts and humanities, as well as social and research and student affairs.

Women make up behavioral sciences.


more than 70 percent of administrators in only one However, men still dominated in the fields of those areas, human resources.

Meanwhile, male of engineering (76.6%), mathematics and presidents outnumber female presidents by a ratio computer sciences (74.9%) and physical and earth of more than two to one.
Male chief information sciences (65.9%), which suggests that more needs officers and chief athletics administrators to be done to encourage women to study STEM outnumber women by a ratio of more than four to subjects to a higher level (Whiting, 2018).

one (Seltzer, 2017).

Gender disparity is a big challenge for any often discourages females from even trying to university.

Some stereotypes and biases prevent pursue a career in business, science, technology, people to pursue their real interest.
As a result, engineering, math, or any leadership position.

The women are drastically underrepresented in participation of women in STEM professions is leadership positions as well as the STEM fields.

salient in terms of prosperity and innovation.
Data Women only comprise 25% of STEM related fields, from the US National Science Foundation shows because of lots of unspoken rules or biases which that between 2006-2014, the number of women 82 Journal in Humanities, ISSN: 2298-0245; e-ISSN: 2346-8289, Volume 8, Issue 1, 2019 _________________________________________________________________________________ graduating with a degree in computer science provides faculty and staff with valuable information actually declined.
Research shows that diverse about what is discrimination, harassment, and teams perform better.

Individuals from different sexual misconduct and their roles, rights, and genders, races, backgrounds and experiences responsibilities (HeForShe Impact bring different perspectives that can lead to 10x10x10University Parity Report, 2016).

innovative solutions (Powers, 2019).


The problem of gender equality still A lot of organizations are actively working perpetuates in modern society despite global to eliminate those problems and to empower more activities to create a society where every person women.

11th February is the International day of will be treated fairly and equally.
Education is Women and Girls in Science declared by the considered to be one of the main tools to eliminate United Nations for achieving full and equal access gender disparity.

Through universities, colleges or and participation in science for women and girl.

schools it is available to change attitudes that are The purpose of the organization is to promote discriminatory and unfair.
Building society based more women to enter professions connected to on justice and equity should be priority for science and technology.

educational system, as schools and universities Another global organization is HeForShe prepare new generation of citizens that can really UN Women’s solidarity movement that contributes make a difference.
a lot to eliminate gender inequality and create Unfair, discriminatory treatment of women gender is not new, it has always been part of the educational system of the United States, like many equal world.

HeForShe launched IMPACT other social institutions.

There is a lot of evidence 10x10x10, an initiative that unites ten Heads of of that refers to unfair treatment of women in State, ten global CEOs and ten University Presidents to formulate solutions that will realize education.
In the United States, women were not equality in every boardroom, classroom, and allowed to enroll at colleges or universities until capitol building around the world.

One of the 1833.

Oberlin College was the first institution of participants of that union is Georgetown University higher learning which admitted women to study that has made numerous contributions to the with men.

It happened after 200 years after the movement for gender equality through education, first men’s college was founded.
Although women public dialogue, learning opportunities, and were admitted to enter colleges, Oberlin believed professional development workshops.

The that women’s main duty was to be wives and university tries to make difference all over the mothers rather than lawyers or intellectuals.

As a world through Institute for Women, Peace and result, women students had to wash men’s clothes, Security.

For instance, the Institute brought world cared for their rooms and served them at meals.
leaders to campus to discuss women’s key role in Later in the following century the reality did not political participation in peace processes and change greatly in terms of gender inequality.

Lots climate change.

The university also works to make of prejudices and biases increased more its campus safe and inclusive for students.
Besides segregation between men and women in education the educational and awareness programs for which showed up in many ways such as textbooks students, they run the faculty and staff program, which contained negative stereotypes of women, “RESPECT Training: Preventing Discrimination, also unequal funding for women’s and men’s Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct”.

This training athletic programs.


Unlike past years the problem 83 Journal in Humanities, ISSN: 2298-0245; e-ISSN: 2346-8289, Volume 8, Issue 1, 2019 _________________________________________________________________________________ has not fully eliminated but situation is somehow Harvard University’s initiative to ban getting better due to the active movements of students’ involvement in single gender has gained women, global organizations and feminists as well.
more positive assessments from psychologists or (Richard, 2005) Still, the number of men still scientists, though it has also caused some debates outnumbers women not only in educational and disagreements.

For example, some critics say systems but also in different workplaces, unequal that “the decision will end up penalizing women- payment and unequal access to education are only spaces, which offer young female students problems that need to be solved.
unique sources of support and community.” But There are different single-gender clubs most agree to support the university that only enhance gender segregation on administration’s ban and think that life would be campuses rather than its elimination.

Harvard’s better without gender lines.


Equality in educational campus really boasts with its various clubs such as institutions will only impact positively on our society women organizations, the university announced to and would foster more people for better life.

This ban students from participation in clubs that policy will put students on the path to better exclude people from other genders.

The purpose understanding and empathizing with one another.
of this prohibition is to advance women and The author of the article “Gender- diminish gender inequality.

segregated social life is hurting today’s college Neuroscientist Lise Eliot thinks that students” regards that women will benefit more separating groups by gender inevitably affects the from mixed gender-clubs and organizations on way we perceive each other and ourselves, “It’s campuses and it does not diminish the importance simple math; the more time you spend with people of women’s spaces.
The author defines that of the same gender, the more similar you will “gender-segregated groups do not reflect the become to each other and the more different you realities of the world we live in.

Consciously or not, will become from the other,” Eliot says.

She thinks college groups based on gender can wind up that there is no fundamental difference between emphasizing and reinforcing differences.
If we men and women in terms of personality or want real gender equality, we could start by cognitive abilities; it is a society and culture that spending more time together rather than apart” makes differences between men and women.

(Case-Levine, 2016).

False attitude and biases are created through culture and society.
Conclusion “The fact that we consistently divide people along gender lines creates powerful biases, according to psychologist Rebecca Bigler of the University of Texas, who has been studying gender for two decades.” Despite coeducational system in the US, there are a lot of single–gender organizations and clubs on campuses which may encourage gender segregation in American higher education institutions.
Segregation, inequality and unfair treatment of the citizens of our society will only harm and cause suffering to our world.

Only with the mutual efforts we can build society based on justice and fair.

Empowerment of women and entitling them with equal rights will have positive impact on modern world that faces many challenges.

It will decrease gender-based violence, will give more people opportunities for better life and chances to realize their best.
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