Janice R. Andrews
A recent study by the Centre for Higher Education (CHE) highlights a growing trend of women outnumbering men in German colleges. During the 2023/2024 winter semester, women accounted for 50.9% of all enrolled students, up from 50.2% in 2021/2022. This marks a historic shift, as women were barred from higher education in Germany just 125 years ago.
Cort-Denis Hachmeister, a CHE data analyst, attributes this rise to more women qualifying for university through exams like the Abitur and the expansion of academic training in fields like nursing and healthcare.
However, gender disparities persist in study choices. Women remain underrepresented in STEM fields, making up only 22.5% of computer science and 15.6% of electrical engineering students. Conversely, they dominate educational sciences (79.6%) and veterinary medicine (86%).
Hachmeister warns that such imbalances can worsen issues like the gender pay gap and skills shortages in key sectors. Despite this, some fields, like business administration and economics, attract equal interest from both genders.
This study underscores the evolving landscape of higher education in Germany, celebrating progress while calling for greater gender diversity across all disciplines.
