Australian university courses are becoming increasingly skewed by both gender and socio-economic background, as the most female-dominated programmes attract the highest shares of disadvantaged students.
An analysis by the 2050 Alliance has found that people from privileged backgrounds, and men in general, are under-represented in degrees leading to modestly paid professions such as nursing and social work.
Meanwhile, women comprise just one-quarter to one-third – and socio-economically disadvantaged people constitute fewer than one-tenth – of enrolments in lucrative fields such as econometrics, banking and finance.
The figures, outlined in a submission to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education, could help explain why men continue to out-earn women in Australia even though women outpace men on most measures of educational participation and performance.
The data also highlight the risks posed by burgeoning gender disparity, as more young men become aggrieved at being “locked out” of the benefits of education.
