In my opinion, men and women should have the same educational
opportunities. However, I do not agree with the idea of accepting equal
proportions of each gender in every university subject.
Having the same number of men and women on all degree courses is simply
unrealistic. Student numbers on any course depend on the applications that
the institution receives. If a university decided to fill courses with equal
numbers of males and females, it would need enough applicants of each
gender. In reality, many courses are more popular with one gender than the
other, and it would not be practical to aim for equal proportions. For
example, nursing courses tend to attract more female applicants, and it
would be difficult to fill these courses if fifty per cent of the places needed to
go to males.
Apart from the practical concerns expressed above, I also believe that it
would be unfair to base admission to university courses on gender.
Universities should continue to select the best candidates for each course
according to their qualifications. In this way, both men and women have the
same opportunities, and applicants know that they will be successful if they
work hard to achieve good grades at school. If a female student is the best
candidate for a place on a course, it is surely wrong to reject her in favour of
a male student with lower grades or fewer qualifications.
In conclusion, the selection of university students should be based on merit,
and it would be both impractical and unfair to change to a selection
procedure based on gender.