Between 1990 and 1997, total enrollments grew by 50 percent in seven years, with the private sector growing at a faster rate than the public sector and access for women increasing steadily. Rising individual returns provided by higher education diplomas have surely stimulated this demand. The overall picture is one of rapid expansion and, most especially, new trends in institutional differentiation, thus producing a setting of greater competition among institutions. Having reached a parity with men, women now have a significant presence in higher education. This is as yet a poorly understood factor of change and will surely bring about further changes in the near future, both in higher education and within the professions at large.
Graduate studies are today the most important growth sector in Mexican higher education.
Total enrollments in master's and doctoral programs went from 46,000 in 1990 to 123,000 in 1998. This increase of 167 pecent over a seven-year period is sure to continue over the coming decade, as the academic labor market continues upgrading and government funds for research and development sustain a demand for highly trained academics. Master's programs have become very attractive to private institutions, which seem to have found a profitable niche in offering midcareer professionals a means of upgrading their skills and knowledge. The total number of academics went from 86,188 in 1990 to 153,044 seven years later, a growth of 78 percent. Academics hired by the private sector grew by 92 percent, although most of them are hired on a part-time basis.