Abstract

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Title:: Rethinking Mass Higher Education: Origin and Internal Logic forFeminization of Higher Education

Keywords:: education equity; feminization of higher education; mass higher education; internationalcomparative study; relatively transfer

Abstract:: The notion of Feminization of Higher Education that depicts the number of female studentssurpassing that of males in colleges appeared in China in 2009. The new gender gap has grown rapidly within10 years, which has aroused considerable attention from both academia and society. Feminization of HigherEducation appeared in 1970s then spread worldwide rather than exists in China alone. Through internationalcomparative study, this study found that mass higher education is the“ origin” and“ necessary condition” forfeminization of higher education. Furthermore, through discussing the development pattern of higher educationworldwide, this study found the“ critical range” where females ’ advantage begins and males ’ advantage ends,then put forward a theoretical point of view that males“ relatively transfer” educational opportunities to femalesin the stage of mass higher education. These discoveries may expand the theoretical boundaries in studyingmass higher education and education equity.