Tertiary Education of Women in Islamic Countries (OIC) and the Status of Gender-Balanced Approach

Tertiary education of women is one of the most important investments a country can make in its people and its future because women form almost half of the population of each country. The present research reports the tertiary education of women in Islamic countries. It demonstrates that in two third of the Islamic countries there are fewer women in tertiary education in comparison with men. Although, comparing with the past, more women are majoring in academic fields related to Welfare and Health, the Humanities, and Natural Sciences, and there is even a gender imbalance in favor of women at the tertiary level overall, the significant reduction in the number of female researchers to less than 30% globally indicates that there are serious barriers impeding the full participation of women in Science and Engineering. During the period of transition from Master’s to PhD, the number of women decreases significantly. Therefore, gender parity should be considered a priority by all if the global community is determined to achieve the next set of developmental goals.