They combine research with teaching in an atmosphere of free inquiry that provides the necessary conditions for productive research. Social Mobility Higher education provides unprecedented opportunities for social mobility and improvement in most societies. Bright students from poor backgrounds are able to obtain an education and improve their prospects. Everywhere, higher education increases income levels. Academe has opened up to women practically everywhere, with more women obtaining degrees, and joining the academic profession.
Inequalities remain, but progress has been impressive.
In most countries, academe has found multiple sources of funding. While government in many places remains the key fiscal base for higher education, postsecondary education now obtains money from a much wider array of sources. These include students and their families, philanthropic foundations and individuals, corporations that pay for research and development, consulting fees, patent and other income, and even the sale of sweatshirts. Less dependence on a single source of money has to some extent insulated academe from the vagaries of governmental policies. Internationalization Postsecondary education is more international than at any time since its origins in medieval Europe, when the common language of instruction was Latin.