A loss of 'white' male privilege?: gender and ethnic dimensions of domestic student participation in bachelor degree studies

Population growth means an increasing number of young people are likely to want to enrol in bachelor degree study. However, constrained government finances have led to the government capping funding. The result is that many education providers are restricting entry to courses. One way to restrict entry is to set academic requirements that are higher than the university entrance requirements. However, institutions, as well as many people in wider society, recognise the need to support diversity and social justice within education and ensure no groups are significantly under-represented. While this paper is built around the question of whether European men have shifted from over-representation to under-representation in bachelor degree study, ultimately it is about identifying which groups face the greatest barriers to bachelor level study. Historically, those groups most under-represented in bachelor degree study were women, Maori, and Pasifika. Now, women are significantly over-represented in most areas of study. Overall, women have higher levels of academic achievement, so are more likely to gain entry to bachelors study than men. However, Maori and Pasifika women remain significantly under-represented on some measures and European men are either strongly or slightly under-represented depending on what measure is used. The groups most clearly under-represented on all key measures are Maori and Pasifika males.

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