CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2024
| Author | Amangeldiyeva, Botagoz |
|---|---|
| Title | Unveiling Gender Disparities in Kazakhstani Education: A Comprehensive Analysis Using Unified National Testing Results |
| Summary | Gender inequality remains a major issue in Kazakhstan's education system. Despite legislation providing equal access to education for both genders, women remain underrepresented in academia and the labor market, particularly in STEM fields. This underrepresentation limits the potential for growth, innovation and scientific progress. For social justice, economic growth and national development, it is necessary to eliminate the gender gap in education. In Kazakhstan, state scholarships are awarded and university admission is determined by a standardized exam called the Unified National Testing (UNT). A major education reform in 2017 changed the format of the exam and made it optional for high school graduates, which may affect the gender gap in education. This paper aims to measure gender differences in education based on UNT scores and specialization choices between 2015 and 2020. The analysis classifies female and male specializations, estimates gender differences in UNT scores before and after the 2017 policy change, and examines graduates' proportion in the choice of specialization. The study finds that higher UNT scores are associated with a higher probability of being female, and that this gender gap is widening each year. Despite educational reforms, women are still heavily underrepresented in high-paying, male-dominated fields, but there is a shift towards neutral specializations among female graduates. These results show that social expectations and gendered specializations can have a significant impact on educational attainment in Kazakhstan. |
| Supervisor | Kaufmann, Marc |
| Department | Economics MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2024/amangeldiyeva_botago.pdf |
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