A META-STUDY OF GENDERED EXPERIENCES IN MOROCCAN UNIVERSITIES: BARRIERS, OPPORTUNITIES, AND CULTURAL CONSTRAINTS

Authors: Mohamed El Kadi & Nadir Akrachi

ABSTRACT

Over the past two decades, Moroccan higher education has experienced profound transformations characterized by a marked rise in female enrollment and a series of institutional reforms intended to advance gender equality. Despite these developments, gender disparities remain evident across several dimensions, including access to higher education, retention rates, academic performance, professional trajectories, and participation in campus life. This meta study synthesizes evidence from eighty two empirical studies, policy reports, and doctoral dissertations published between 2005 and 2024 in order to examine the complex experiences of female students in Moroccan universities. Drawing on an intersectional framework, complemented by Bourdieu theory of capital and feminist institutionalism, the analysis explores the structural, cultural, and institutional factors that shape women academic trajectories. The findings reveal that although institutional expansion has facilitated increased enrollment, persistent systemic barriers continue to limit full participation. These barriers include linguistic hierarchies that privilege French medium education, socio economic inequalities, patriarchal family expectations, and gendered campus cultures. At the same time, the study identifies emerging opportunities such as scholarship programs, international mobility initiatives, leadership positions, and progressive curricular reforms that enable women to assert agency and renegotiate professional and social norms. The study concludes by proposing a conceptual model that connects structural, cultural, and institutional determinants to individual academic and professional outcomes. It further advances targeted policy recommendations aimed at strengthening gender equity within Moroccan higher education.

Keywords: Moroccan higher education; Gender equality; Female enrollment; Structural and sociocultural barriers; Intersectionality

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