An investigation into gender differences in participation in higher education among final year secondary school students in Cameroon

The importance of female education is gradually being recognised and gender equality in education has been promoted through different international commitments (e.g., EFA, MDGs and SDGs). However, in sub-Saharan Africa, educational gender inequality remains, and the higher education participation rate is still low. Cameroon, in particular, has a low higher education participation rate compared with developed countries, along with gender gaps in participation in higher education. Students, particularly female students, might face barriers to participation in higher education in Cameroon. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate barriers to participation in higher education in Cameroon for final year secondary school students, with a particular focus on gender differences. The conceptual framework for this study was based on the studies by Hyde (1993) and Gorard et al. (2007). Five types of barriers were discussed: economic barriers, socio-cultural barriers, institutional barriers, family barriers and personal barriers. This longitudinal study adopted an explanatory sequential mixed methods research design. In total, 1,975 questionnaires were collected with students from 14 schools in Cameroon, and 25 semi-structured interviews and 14 follow-up interviews were conducted. The questionnaire data was analysis through univariate, bivariate and multivariate analysis methods, interview data was analysis through thematic analysis. This study revealed no gender differences regarding students’ attitudes towards participation in higher education – both females and males were positive about continuing to higher education. However, their preferred higher education institutions and subject streams varied by gender. Parental and institutional factors were shown to be associated with students’ higher education attitudes and choices. Strong gender stereotyped views were revealed from the interviews, yet these did not influence their attitudes towards higher education, implying that education might have provided a ‘sanctuary’ place for those final year students and they were somewhat insulated from the gender-biased views of wider society. The results of this study suggest that, if females can remain in education longer, their aspirations to attend higher education will be similar to those of males. Therefore, one implication for policy makers is to intervene at earlier stages of education to ensure that females remain in the education system longer. Furthermore, the regional and institutional imbalance within Cameroon should also be dealt with by policy makers. Parents and students themselves should also change their mind sets and attitudes towards higher education.