Brown Bag — The Persistence of “The Persistence of Inequality” Thesis: Women in Higher Education throughout the World

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Worldwide trends suggest that the status of women has changed in the direction of greater equality across multiple domains, including higher education. And yet, the "persistence of inequality" thesis is a central tenet in sociological literature. In this lecture, Francisco Ramirez explains why current debates are less about inclusionary versus exclusionary logics and more about the terms of inclusion. Discourse is shifting away from issues of expanded access to valued institutions and towards questions regarding experiences within these institutions.

Ramirez is Professor of Education and (by courtesy) Sociology at Stanford University where he is also the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs in the Graduate School of Education. His current research interests focus on the rise and institutionalization of human rights and human rights education, on the worldwide rationalization of university structures and processes, on terms of inclusion issues as regards gender and education, and on the scope and intensity of the authority of science in society. His comparative studies contribute to sociology of education, political sociology, sociology of gender, and sociology of development. His work has contributed to the development of the world society perspective in the social sciences. Ramirez received his BA in social sciences from De La Salle University in the Philippines and his MA and PhD in sociology from Stanford University.

He is the co-author of the books Science in the Modern World Polity: Institutionalization and Globalization and The World Institutionalization of Education.