The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Asian and African Caribbean women and experiences of higher education: motivations and choices

Asian and African Caribbean women and experiences of higher education: motivations and choices
Asian and African Caribbean women and experiences of higher education: motivations and choices
This paper will present the findings of two research projects examining the experiences and aspirations of black and minority ethnic women in higher education. The first research project focussed on the experiences of South Asian women and the second on Black Caribbean women’s experiences and aspirations. Both projects were based on twenty case study interviews with women studying at ‘new’ (post 1992) universities in the South East of England. The paper highlights women’s motivations for attending university and the decisions they make when attending university, such as choice of course and choice of university.

We found that the ‘localism’ and ‘critical mass’ of students from minority ethnic backgrounds affected the decisions women made. The desire to study and work has been well researched over the last two decades or so (Taylor, 1991; Modood and Shiner, 2002). It has been continuously pointed out that students’ experiences of higher education institutions and employment differed (Mirza, 2009). BAME students were less likely to secure employment after graduation and if they did, they had lower salaries.

The findings also show that there is a strong desire to study for higher education qualifications, to find suitable employment and to develop their careers. In the face of structural inequalities the women in both projects have been able to achieve their objectives with reference to education and now they aspire towards achieving similar objectives in the labour market. In this context, the narratives of these women were used to explore their subjective experiences of being at university.
Bhopal, Kalwant
5ac0970e-1c42-4757-87df-6fdb6f826314
Takhar, Shaminder
27e9b5ee-7f2a-4787-bea6-9b7c892ad601
Bhopal, Kalwant
5ac0970e-1c42-4757-87df-6fdb6f826314
Takhar, Shaminder
27e9b5ee-7f2a-4787-bea6-9b7c892ad601

Bhopal, Kalwant and Takhar, Shaminder (2010) Asian and African Caribbean women and experiences of higher education: motivations and choices. British Sociological Association Annual Conference 2010 - Inequalities & Social Justice, , Glasgow, United Kingdom. 06 - 08 Apr 2010.

Record type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)

Abstract

This paper will present the findings of two research projects examining the experiences and aspirations of black and minority ethnic women in higher education. The first research project focussed on the experiences of South Asian women and the second on Black Caribbean women’s experiences and aspirations. Both projects were based on twenty case study interviews with women studying at ‘new’ (post 1992) universities in the South East of England. The paper highlights women’s motivations for attending university and the decisions they make when attending university, such as choice of course and choice of university.

We found that the ‘localism’ and ‘critical mass’ of students from minority ethnic backgrounds affected the decisions women made. The desire to study and work has been well researched over the last two decades or so (Taylor, 1991; Modood and Shiner, 2002). It has been continuously pointed out that students’ experiences of higher education institutions and employment differed (Mirza, 2009). BAME students were less likely to secure employment after graduation and if they did, they had lower salaries.

The findings also show that there is a strong desire to study for higher education qualifications, to find suitable employment and to develop their careers. In the face of structural inequalities the women in both projects have been able to achieve their objectives with reference to education and now they aspire towards achieving similar objectives in the labour market. In this context, the narratives of these women were used to explore their subjective experiences of being at university.

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

Published date: 8 April 2010
Venue - Dates: British Sociological Association Annual Conference 2010 - Inequalities & Social Justice, , Glasgow, United Kingdom, 2010-04-06 - 2010-04-08

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 160565
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/160565
PURE UUID: 2c682fec-5eba-490a-bb94-51c543313d79

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 16 Jul 2010 08:48
Last modified: 10 Dec 2021 18:24

Export record

Contributors

Author: Kalwant Bhopal
Author: Shaminder Takhar

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×