A review of women’s presence in higher education in Mexico

Abstract

The growth of higher education in Mexico over the last decades is characterized, among other things, by the greater participation of women. Today, there are significant numbers of women studying undergraduate or graduate degrees, incorporated to institutions as academic personnel and members of the National System of Researchers (Sistema Nacional de Investigadores, or SNI) or that hold positions in management. However, there are fields of knowledge —exact sciences and engineering, for example— where there are fewer women than men. Postgraduate degrees are new areas in which women have greater presence. On the other hand, the glass ceiling persists in most universities. Despite the fact that women have been inserted into different areas of higher education in Mexico, inequalities and iniquities continue; it is therefore necessary to develop a series of strategies and programs that allow us to speak of the existence of gender equality in our higher education system. The purpose of this article is it to bring data up to date showing advances in the presence of women in higher education, paying critical attention to the areas where it happens to a lesser degree, as well as presenting some of the guidelines that are being promoted in the country to foster greater gender equality and equity in the system of higher education.