Women in Advanced Education Advancement For Whom?

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Abstract
This article traces the rise and decline of the advanced education sector. It points out that the formation of the sector results in large part from the political efforts of male dominated professional organisations and educational institutions to delineate and enhance their spheres of influence. This partly explains the differing course structures faced by male and female students, and the enrolment patterns of the sexes. There is thus the strong suggestion that the lower pay and inferior labour market position of women is related to their lack of opportunity to organise to pursue their industrial interests both in the work place and in the educational institutions that lead to it. We argue also that increasing participation rates of women in advanced education do not necessarily lead to enhanced labour market chances. How women will fare in the workforce depends on whether employers base their selection of employees primarily on the applicants' length of education, type of qualifications, or sex. This point is elaborated in our discussion of changing CAE enrolment patterns for women, and has implications for those involved in forming policies aimed at ameliorating the rate of female youth unemployment.

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