(Newswire.net — March 11, 2021) —
Diversity and inclusion, over the years, have become morally essential within not only business but education too. But, what does this really mean? Typically, diversity focusses on differences between a group of people that can include age, race, religion, disability and gender. By acknowledging all these things, employers and educational establishments hope to create an environment that is filled with as many different people as possible, while also being as inclusive as possible. So, why is gender particularly important?
In a FutureLearn study, women tended to demonstrate a higher trust in the power of education to improve diversity and inclusion. In total, 45% of women and only 39% of men reported that education is the key that opens up doors for a more diverse, inclusive, culturally accepting world. Similarly, 39% of women believe that education can be used to combat inequality and increase inclusive teaching methods. In the same study, we found that women predicted that education will become even more accessible for people with disabilities (both mental and physical) in the future.
In recent times, we have seen the importance online learning has had on our lives and education. Women, according to our studies, are more likely to agree that online learning allows for far more diversity and inclusion. The majority of women believed that online learning offers privacy and confidence that aren’t offered particularly in face-to-face learning. For example, someone might need to study a topic that they would feel uncomfortable taking in person but would happily participate in an online capacity.
FutureLearn has discovered an increase in women enrolling in science, engineering and mathematics courses in 2020 – in fact, more women than men enrolled in these particular courses, with almost 10% more new students identifying as female. FutureLearn also saw a 350% increase in people enrolling in technology and coding courses from 2019 to 2020, with over half of these new students being women.
As a result of online learning, almost 38% of women believe education has become more accessible now to women all over the world, compared to only 30% of men holding the same belief. Women in the study often stated that they believe it is due to the privacy of online learning that people (particularly women) feel more confident to participate in. Nearly 60% of this particular group of women say that women have more access to education as a result of online learning, which is much higher than the 50% of men who also support this same statement.
It is essential that we promote as much diversity and inclusion as possible, especially as online learning has opened up so many doors for a wider range of people. 2020, although beyond difficult for many of us, was a year of growth and dedication within the education sector. Within education, it is so important that we continue to improve the quality, support and confidence in our students as we progress further into a future that is diverse, inclusive and offers equal opportunity for all.