Advances in higher education: feminine irruption and masculine continuity

Abstract

Thanks to the expansion of the Mexican higher education system from the 1970s, the population with higher education studies has been increased, particularly the feminine one. This evidence has been obtained from a gender and generational analysis. The analysis also shows the socio-demographic characteristics of the population with higher education studies, which suggest that there are some advantages for women of the most recent generations, for instance not having become part of the labour market during their university studies. It is suggested that the fact that women have reached levels of higher education has generated a greater participation in the economic activity, which in turn allows them to have more autonomy and puts them in a better position to negotiate both in the family and labour spheres.