Increasing Women’s Participation in International Scholarship Programs: An Analysis of Nine Case Studies

Although the number of women participating in international scholarship programs has increased considerably over the past two decades, it is generally recognized that they still are not participating in numbers commensurate with their population worldwide. Further, a cursory examination of a few programs indicates surprisingly wide variations in rates of women’s participation from program to program, and within programs, country to country.

This report presented the results of nine case studies, including major international scholarship programs based in the United States and Canada. Through a review of existing written material and statistical data on male/female participation, the study sought to analyze why women fare as they do in these programs, and what makes some programs more successful than others in attracting and retaining women candidates. Emphasis was placed on women from developing countries studying in developed countries, mostly at the graduate and post-graduate level.