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Closing the Digital Gender Gap among Foreign University Students: The Challenges Ahead

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  • Hayet Kerras

    (Departamento de Economía de la Empresa, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, 30203 Cartagena, Spain)

  • Susana Bautista

    (Escuela Politécnica Superior, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Ctra. Pozuelo-Majadahonda Km 1.800, 28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain)

  • Danilo Santos Piñeros Perea

    (Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Carrera 45 # 26-85, Edif. Uriel Gutiérrez, Bogota 111321, Colombia)

  • María Dolores de-Miguel Gómez

    (Departamento de Economía de la Empresa, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, 30203 Cartagena, Spain)

Abstract

In today’s world, new and advanced forms of technology are increasingly providing great changes in universities, thus generating new possibilities and impacting pedagogy and learning methodology. Unfortunately, not all students can use these tools in the same way and with the same ability. Not only are there digital gender gaps that limit women from enjoying these learning opportunities, but there are also digital gaps between foreign and natives’ students who have been trained in these technologies in their countries of origin, which impedes the achievement of the sustainable development goals planned for 2030. This study addresses theoretical foundations on the digital gender gap in university studies and provides an econometric analysis, through a simple linear regression, on the existence of a correlation between this digital gender gap and the university study gap by gender. A more specific analysis is also presented on the digital gender gap in the case of foreign students from four groups of countries, according to their income. The results show, on one hand, that differences in the access and use of technologies represent one of the factors that affects the percentage of graduates in higher education by gender; on the other, that there is a highly visible digital divide between countries with high income, compared to low- and lower-middle-income countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Hayet Kerras & Susana Bautista & Danilo Santos Piñeros Perea & María Dolores de-Miguel Gómez, 2022. "Closing the Digital Gender Gap among Foreign University Students: The Challenges Ahead," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-28, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:19:p:12230-:d:926232
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Asheena Singh-Pillay, 2023. "South African Postgraduate STEM Students’ Use of Mobile Digital Technologies to Facilitate Participation and Digital Equity during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-14, September.

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