Women Taking Over the Ivory Tower: Marketplace Morning Report Transcript
In which of the following regions do women account for the largest share of college students? A: North America, B: Latin America, C: Eastern Europe, D: Sub Saharan Africa
January 14, 2016
David Brancaccio: From time-to-time a journalist comes rounds to ask me impossible to answer questions that teach us something about out world. With the Department of Defense’s announcement that women can do all combat roles now, taking another look at gender and advancement today, the quizmaster here is Stephan Richter, editor in chief of the Globalist.
Stephan Richter: This quiz today is about women taking over the ivory tower? And of course we know that back in 1970, a majority of all people studying for college degrees were still men. By now, it’s women who have the upper hand in most regions.
So my question to you is this. In which of the following regions do women account for the largest share of college students? Is it A: North America, B: Latin America, C: Eastern Europe or D: Sub Saharan Africa?
David Brancaccio: Oh, Eastern Europe, why not answer that way! Is that right?
Stephan Richter: Eastern Europe has been leading the world among the various regions since at least 1970. According to UNESCO statistics, there is a benefit to communism after all because it did pull people into higher education and especially women because it treated them as equals but where does the US then rank? Is it No. 2 or No. 3?
David Brancaccio: I’ve spent a lot of time in Sub-Saharan Africa and you do find large numbers of women run businesses but I’m thinking the US must lead Latin America and Sub Saharan Africa.
Stephan Richter: Yes, the US does. With regard to Sub-Saharan Africa, they are where the US was in 1970 and when you look at South Asia, where it was only 28 women per 100 men in 1980, there are now 74 women studying for every 100 men. In the United States, women already make more money than men and that is the ultimate test for them being more productive.
David Brancaccio: Wait, Stephan! What are you talking about? You have statistics that college educated women make more than college educated men?
Stephan Richter: At least in the big cities, you will find that women also have much higher employment ratio. They have penetrated professional services as we see all around and that is shown in the salary numbers.
Takeaways
Eastern Europe has been leading the world among the various regions since at least 1970.
Because of communist in Europe, more people, especially women, were pulled into higher education.
While it was only 28 women studying per 100 men in South Asia in1980, today it is 74 women per 100 men.