Evolution of South African Woman in Higher Education

Past, Present, Future

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-630-7_14How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Woman; Higher education; apartheid; democratic government; evolution; South Africa

Abstract

The rise of South African women in higher education is a story of perseverance and transformational change. South African women, particularly black women, were historically marginalized and excluded due to colonial and apartheid-era policies, posing significant barriers to higher education. The early twentieth century saw the gradual emergence of women’s colleges and limited access to higher education for white women, while black women were largely excluded. Following World War II, the landscape began to shift gradually as social and political movements advocated for women’s rights. The end of apartheid in 1994 was a watershed moment, resulting in legal reforms and policies aimed at redressing historical injustices and promoting gender equality. The new democratic government’s initiatives, including the National Policy on Gender Equity in Education (1997), resulted in a significant increase in the enrolment and employment of females in higher education institutions. By 2019, women made up most students in South African higher education institutions, marking a significant shift from previous decades. Despite these advances, current challenges remain, such as underrepresentation in STEM fields, gender-based violence, and economic barriers. The government, universities, and civil society organizations must continue to work together to address these issues and ensure that women have equal access to and success in higher education. This evolution highlights the dynamic interplay of gender, race, and education in South Africa, emphasizing the need for ongoing advocacy and policy intervention to achieve true gender parity in higher education.

Copyright

© 2024 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Karishma Singh
AU  - Tshali Ntombizanele
AU  - Afika-Amazizi.Naledi Mbuyiswa
AU  - Portia Nokubonga Mseleku
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/12/31
TI  - Evolution of South African Woman in Higher Education
BT  - Proceedings of the Focus Conference (TFC 2024)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 255
EP  - 269
SN  - 2667-128X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-630-7_14
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-630-7_14
ID  - Singh2024
ER  -