Gaining access to education is one of the cornerstones of achieving women's liberation. Currently women make up over half the students in Australian tertiary institutions. This has led Ian Dobson, a senior academic at Monash University, to argue that women are no longer disadvantaged in accessing higher education. However, jumping to that conclusion now — before the impact of the government's cutbacks to education — is premature, if not foolhardy.
The introduction of free tertiary education in Australia in 1974 opened up many more opportunities for women: in 1974, women made up just 37% of tertiary students; by 1995, that figure had climbed to almost 54%. However, like all other gains that have been won, it is by no means guaranteed.
A closer look at where women are in the tertiary education sector gives an indication of how vulnerable their continuing access is. In 1991, women comprised 72.7% of students in education, 67.9% in arts courses, 39.4% in science and only 10.8% in engineering. It is the humanities courses (where women are most concentrated) that face the greatest threat as education is restructured to suit the interests of the corporate sector.
In 1995, women comprised only 42% of students in higher degree courses. Women's studies courses have been eroded severely. Courses recently proposed at Sydney University such as Women in Asia and Women Writers of India have been rejected due to a lack of funds.
The increased number of women who entered tertiary education over the past 20 years were mainly part-time, external and mature age students. Women make up the bulk of these categories largely because they still have to shoulder a disproportionate domestic burden. Cutbacks in funding and student places will impact harshly on these women.
While the abolition of fees has given women greater access to education, other barriers still exist: the lack of child care facilities, safety problems on campus and sexual harassment.
The Labor government introduced the beginnings of the "user-pays" approach to education with its Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) in 1989. While the "pay later" scheme meant that women's participation didn't dramatically drop, studies have revealed that one in four women will still be paying off their HECS debt at the age of 65, compared to only one in 25 men.
It is clear that the move towards the introduction of up-front fees — accelerated since the election of the Coalition — will affect women's participation. If the Coalition manages to push through its education cuts we will be returned to pre-1974 days when education was for the rich, and those lucky enough to win the occasional scholarship. To stop Howard, students must join with the broader community to oppose the government's cuts before the August budget.
One hundred years ago women fought for the right to enter universities, then elite institutions for privileged males. Women's right to education is part of the broader struggle for winning our rights to a career and economic independence. We need to continue the struggle for an education system that is both accessible and relevant to the needs of all people, not just those who can afford to pay.
By Trish Corcoran