Access to NS& E degrees differs among countries and regions, but it varies still more by sex of students. (See text table 2-2.) In all countries for which NS& E degree data are available by sex of recipient, males receive the overwhelming majority of such awards. Japan has the highest proportion of male college-age students who obtain a first university degree in NS& E (11 percent), but the lowest proportion of females (fewer than 1 percent). Among the countries studied, South Korean females have the highest participation rate in NS&E degrees.(Click here for footnote 4.) European women have a slightly higher participation rate in NS& E degrees than do women in other Asian countries and in the United States.

In terms of all first university degree awards, South Korean women have the highest participation rate (15 percent) of any Asian, European, or North American country except the United States (30.5 percent).2 (Click here for footnote 5.)By current world standards, Japanese and Taiwanese women are also highly educated, and are more likely to receive a university education than females in France, Germany, or the United Kingdom. (See appendix table 2-3.)

ContentsSearchContinue