Canadian Council on Learning | Conseil Canadien sur l'Apprentissage

Question Scans

Question 3: How does gender, ethnicity and socio-economic status impede access to post-secondary education, and what options exist for overcoming impediments to access?

Overview

The purpose of this question scan was to determine the feasibility of conducting a systematic review of the literature devoted to factors that facilitate or impede access to post-secondary education.

The broad scope of the question necessitated its separation into three, more manageable, sub-questions:

• What factors relating to ethnicity are identified as impeding or facilitating access to post-secondary education?
• What factors, relating to gender, are identified as impeding or facilitating access to post-secondary education?
• What factors, relating to socioeconomic status, are identified as impeding or facilitating post-secondary access?

It should be noted that issues of ethnicity, gender and socio-economic status overlap substantially. A portion of the literature examines all three aspects of marginalization in concert, not in isolation. See for example, Gayle, Berridge, and Davies (2002); Bernal, Cabrera, and Terenz (1999); and Nitiri (2001). Some authors argue ethnicity or gender often affects one’s socio-economic status, thus these issues must be examined together as separation of the three may allow for only a partial analysis. For example, amending discriminatory practices in post-secondary education admission processes may help Black or female students, but, if financial challenges are not addressed, barriers will not be lifted. Similarly, even if gender related obstacles are removed or mediated, ethnocultural issues may still exist. Moreover, barriers to post-secondary education differ for female students of different ethno-cultural backgrounds and thus necessitate different studies to understand the intricacies of obstacles faced.

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