Barriers Hindering Women’s Empowerment among Higher Education

Women’s empowerment has emerged as a central priority in global development agendas and government initiatives aimed at enhancing social and economic inclusion. Despite the expansion of higher education opportunities for women, particularly in developing countries, the translation of educational attainment into real empowerment remains limited. This study examines the barriers hindering women’s empowerment within higher education institutions, with a specific focus on Egyptian universities. Adopting a quantitative research approach, the study develops a structured research framework to analyze the impact of socio-cultural norms and traditional gender roles, institutional and structural barriers within universities, and economic and policy factors on women’s empowerment. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques, including Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), to test the proposed hypotheses. The findings reveal statistically significant relationships between the examined factors and women’s empowerment, indicating that societal restrictions, weak institutional support, ineffective economic policies, and disparities between education and employment opportunities are among the most prominent obstacles limiting women’s empowerment. The study concludes that overcoming these challenges requires comprehensive and integrated reforms at the cultural, institutional, and economic levels to create a supportive environment that enables women to effectively participate in leadership, decision-making, and sustainable development.

Department

Marketing

Publisher

Egyptian Knowledge Bank

Sponsor

NA