Gender gap in the ERASMUS mobility program

TL;DR

This study investigates gender disparities in the ERASMUS student exchange program, revealing female over-representation overall and geographical biases influenced by subject area distributions.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of gender and geographical patterns in ERASMUS mobility, highlighting the influence of subject area distribution on observed asymmetries.

Findings

Female students are over-represented in ERASMUS across countries.

Gender asymmetry varies geographically, with male bias in Scandinavian countries.

Subject area distribution explains geographical gender asymmetries.

Abstract

Studying abroad has become very popular among students. The ERASMUS mobility program is one of the largest international student exchange programs in the world, which has supported already more than three million participants since 1987. We analyzed the mobility pattern within this program in 2011-12 and found a gender gap across countries and subject areas. Namely, for almost all participating countries, female students are over-represented in the ERASMUS program when compared to the entire population of tertiary students. The same tendency is observed across different subject areas. We also found a gender asymmetry in the geographical distribution of hosting institutions, with a bias of male students in Scandinavian countries. However, a detailed analysis reveals that this latter asymmetry is rather driven by subject and consistent with the distribution of gender ratios among subject areas.