THE GENDER GAP REVERSAL IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF BRAZIL AND CHINA

Authors

  • TELI CHEN https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2951-6817
  • SUZANA LOPES SALGADO RIBEIRO https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0310-0694
  • FRANCISCO JOSÉ LEANDRO https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1443-5828

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26619/1647-7251.DT0324.13

Keywords:

Gender, Reversal, Higher Education, Brazil, China

Abstract

This study investigated the reversal of gender disparity in enrollment in higher education in Brazil and China (both of whom members of BRICS) from having more male than female students in the past, to now having more female than male students. This reversal began for Brazil in 1988, and for China in 2008. The paper examined factors that contributed to the reversal through employing a qualitative methodology, including an extensive review of literature, analysis of statistical data and official documents from the Brazilian and Chinese governments, the United Nations, as well as the World Bank, and a comparative analysis between Brazil and China, exploring such aspects as feminist movement, legal framework, economic development, expansion of higher education, and demographic factors. The study is significant as it illuminates the evolving landscape of higher education and gender dynamics in Brazil and China to offer valuable insights for other countries for reference. In particular, the case studies on Brazil and China can inform international efforts to address gender disparity and create more inclusive and equitable systems not only in education but also in other fields.

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Author Biographies

TELI CHEN, https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2951-6817

English teacher at Hainan Vocational College of Politics and Law and a Ph.D. candidate at the Institute for Research on Portuguese-speaking Countries, City University of Macau (China). She holds a Master’s degree in Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics from Hainan University and a Bachelor’s degree from the Department of English at Beijing International Studies University. Her current research interests include English teaching and Portuguese-speaking countries. She has published over ten articles in Chinese journals.

SUZANA LOPES SALGADO RIBEIRO, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0310-0694

Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of São Paulo, and Master's and Ph.D. from the University of São Paulo (2002; 2017). She is a Professor of the History Course and the Master in Human Development, and Professional Master in Education - University of Taubaté (Brazil), and the Master in Management and Regional Development – Southern Minas University Center (UNIS). She is carrying out her post-doctorate at Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC SP), and is a researcher at the Center for Studies in Oral History.

FRANCISCO JOSÉ LEANDRO, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1443-5828

PhD in political science and international relations from the Catholic University of Portugal in 2010, and habilitation from ISCTE–University Institute of Lisbon in 2022. From 2016 to 2017, Prof. Leandro took part in a post-doctoral research programme on state monopolies in China — One belt, one road studies. In 2014, 2017 and 2020, he was awarded an Institute of European Studies in Macau (IEEM) Academic Research Grant, which is a major component of the Asia Europe Comparative Studies Research Project. From 2014 to 2018, he was Programme Coordinator at the Institute of Social and Legal Studies, Faculty of Humanities at the University of Saint Joseph in Macau. From 2018 to 2023 he was Associate Dean of the Institute for Research on Portuguese-Speaking Countries at the City University of Macau. He is currently Associate Professor with Habilitation in International Relations in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Macau (China). His most recent publications are: The Belt and Road Initiative: An Old Archetype of a New Development Model (2020), Palgrave Macmillan; Geopolitics of Iran (2021), Palgrave Macmillan; The Handbook of Special Economic Zones (2021), IGI Global; Disentangled Vision on Higher Education: Preparing the Generation Next (2023), Peter Lang Publishers; The Palgrave Handbook of Globalization with Chinese Characteristics (2023), Palgrave Macmillan; Changing the Paradigm of Energy Geopolitics: Resources and Pathways in the Light of Global Climate Challenges (2023), Peter Lang Publishers; Portuguese-speaking Small Island Developing States: The development Journeys of Cabo Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Timor-Leste (2023), Palgrave Macmillan; The Palgrave Handbook on China-Europe-Africa Relations: Legacies and the New International Order (2024), Palgrave Macmillan.

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Published

2024-12-17

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 2, TD1 (2024): Thematic dossier - Brazil-China relations: The rise of modern International Order

Section

ARTICLES