Tel-Aviv University, Israel. Women's participation in higher education as students and faculty members remains a neglected dimension in understanding the substantial expansion of tertiary education in the Arab states. As higher education expanded, women's participation became differentially structured within a wider array of institutional settings. This has affected not only women's social visibility but also their ability to negotiate political power at various levels of action and in different fields.
Significant differences do still exist among states.
In 1995, Lebanon, Jordan, and Kuwait each had over 2,300 students per 100,000 population, while Sudan, Yemen, and Oman each had less than 450. Enrollment Rates Women's enrollment accounts for an increasingly important portion of tertiary education expansion in many Arab states, particularly in the Gulf. Yet, their access is far from universal. Women come overwhelmingly from the urban middle and upper classes. Urban-rural disparities are also significant.