Hunger and Thirst of Women for Accessing Higher Education in the 21st Century

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to examine the reasons why women choose to access higher education in the twenty first century. It uses a feminist research lens, noting that women are newcomers to higher education, since it was only in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries that women began to access higher education, as a direct result of active feminist campaigning and their determination. Their determination is underscored by the reasons identified for their choice to access higher education. These include, among others, the need to develop their socialisation capabilities and their aspiration to be liberated from been tagged ‘domestic engineers’. This paper, leaning on the gender–inclusive culture conceptual framework and extensive reviewed literature, also suggest that higher education has a direct impact on women's empowerment as it creates in them an awareness of their rights, their capabilities and the choices and opportunities available to them.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n6p283