5.6.7 IUL has measurement/tracking of women’s likelihood of graduating compared to men’s, and schemes in place to close any gap

The Islamic University in Lebanon, through analytical and statistical systems, measures and analyzes the number of graduates of women compared to men. If a gender gap exists in other majors at the graduation level and stage, the university works to bridge and close this gap through several matters, where we can cite the most important of them:

  • Allow pregnant women to reduce attendance in some courses that do not require full attendance.
  • Allow pregnant women to extend the study period in case they skip it.
  • Allow a pregnant woman to sit for makeup session exam if she fails to sit for the first session for satisfactory reasons (medical reasons).
  • Allow women who have young children to reduce attendance in some courses that do not require full attendance.
  • Allow women who have young children to extend the study period in case of skipping it.
  • Allow women who have young children to sit for makeup session exam if she fails to sit for the first session for satisfactory reasons (medical reasons).

The Islamic University in Lebanon (IUL), through its vision and establishment and under the leadership of a female president, is a university for the whole nation. The IUL provides equal opportunities in the field of education and shows social responsibility. It does not differentiate between any of the components of the homeland, regardless of religious, sectarian or ethnic affiliation. Equality between men and women is one of the foundations of the university’s vision and one of its most important goals. (new policies file to be approved by the president).
Accordingly, the IUL performs long-term follow-up and analysis of students (especially females) to the development paths of graduates (including different types of assessment outcomes, student success in further studies and jobs, career paths of graduates, employment).
Based on student learning outcomes, a predictive analysis model is designed to track the long-term learning process. The findings are used to create a predictive model that serves as the basis for modifying the teaching and therapy process and the distribution of faculties’ resources.
The university tracks periodically and systematically everything related to the female component of the university, whether through the admission or application rate for students, the recruitment process, or also through the determination of the educational staff and body. Every year, the university, through statistical programs, tracks the number of female students’ acceptance, and the number of employees in the administrative and educational bodies as well.
The university also studies the number of female students who finish their studies completely and graduate, compared to the total number of graduated students. Additionally, the IUL also tracks, through statistical studies, the number of admitted and graduated females, and compare them with the number of males in each of the specialties afforded by the university.
Based on these statistics, the IUL analyzes the females’ numbers reflected by these statistical studies and accordingly investigate the reasons behind its increase, decrease or stability in each of these specialties. Furthermore, the IUL sets its plans for every year for empowering women in areas where their presence and participation is less than the other areas or is low in comparison with that of males. This plan includes orientation and support, by all means, the engagement of the IUL females in certain specialties (as engineering, law, etc…), where their presence is low. Additionally, the plan includes providing and orientating females towards integration in trainings, seminars, competitions and different other participation that reinforces their presence and representation in the areas where their presence is low.
The IUL encourages faculties to raise the females’ enrollment quota proactively so that female students are more likely to be admitted. The IUL has proactively provide additional quotas for the admission of female students across different channels. In order to address the needs of female students in all respects, the IUL incorporates support mechanisms into the screening process in the different phases of ‘Individual application’ for university admission. Consequently, the IUL takes into account that the number of women should not be less than 30% in order to initiate these certain specialties or programs.
In order to encourage female students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds to strive for excellence, to improve self-confidence and freedom, to reduce their financial burden during university studies and to enable them to study without financial concern, the IUL has set out the several supporting measures as follows:

  • Reducing the financial burden on vulnerable female applicants – IUL offers Scholarship grants and provides facilities for the payment of the remaining University tuition fees.
  • In order to enable disadvantaged female students to concentrate on their studies, the IUL aggressively raises funds and puts in place various support mechanisms to strengthen the support mechanism for these students.
    The IUL annually tracks the number of females attending and graduating from IUL as total. Moreover, it tracks their numbers on the level of attended and graduated in each faculty in order to analyze these numbers in comparison with the males’ ones and on the level of the academic years to study their participation in the different faculties’ programs. Accordingly, it tests the performance of its plans for female students’ participation enhancement and empowerment and update its plans in order to encourage female to attend and participate the programs/faculties where they are underrepresented.
    Table 1 shows the total number of students graduated from IUL and the percentage of the female ones. It is shown that the females form approximately 50% of the IUL students through years’ academic years from 2014/2015 till 2018/2019.

 

From 2014/2015 till 2018/2019

Percentage

Graduated students

Total

2745

 

Female

1510

55 %

Male

1235

45%

Table 1. Graduated female students’ percentage

 

The tables and graphs represent the number of female graduation from each of the IUL faculties.

Economics and Business Administration

Specialty

Academic year

2014/

2015

2015/

2016

2016/

2017

2017/

2018

2018/

2019

Economics and Business Administration

Graduating students

Total

156

128

120

121

152

Female

82

62

74

69

100

Male

74

66

46

52

52

Table 2. Graduated female students at Economics and Business Administration faculty

 

Figure 1. Economics and Business Administration graduated students

 

Engineering faculty

Specialty

Academic year

2014/

2015

2015/

2016

2016/

2017

2017/

2018

2018/

2019

Engineering

Graduating students

Total

66

43

89

106

146

Female

12

5

9

23

44

Male

54

38

80

83

123

Table 3. Graduated female students at Engineering faculty

Figure 2. Engineering graduated students

Islamic Studies faculty

Specialty

Academic year

2014/2015

2015/2016

2016/2017

20172018

2018/2019

Islamic studies

Graduating students

Total

9

15

14

15

23

Female

5

8

3

9

9

Male

4

7

11

6

14

Table 4. Graduated female students at Islamic Studies faculty

Figure 3. Islamic Studies graduated students

 

Law faculty

Specialty

Academic year

2014/2015

2015/2016

2016/2017

2017/2018

2018/2019

Law

Graduating students

Total

82

85

128

138

145

Female

35

27

61

77

89

Male

47

58

67

62

56

Table 5. Graduated female students at Law faculty

Figure 4. Law graduated students

 

Letters and Human Sciences faculty

Specialty

Academic year

2014/2015

2015/2016

2016/2017

2017/2018

2018/2019

Letters and human sciences

Graduating students

Total

63

43

67

59

69

Female

58

39

64

55

66

Male

5

4

3

4

3

Table 6. Graduated female students at Letters and Human Sciences faculty.

Figure 5. Letters and Human Sciences graduated students

 

Nursing and Health Sciences faculty

Specialty

Academic year

2014/2015

2015/2016

2016/2017

2017/2018

2018/2019

Nursing and health sciences

graduating students

Total

21

28

82

68

115

Female

13

21

47

37

75

Male

8

7

35

31

40

Table 7. Graduated female students at Nursing and Health Sciences faculty

Figure 6. Nursing and Health Sciences faculty graduated students

Sciences and Arts faculty

Specialty

Academic year

2014/2015

2015/2016

2016/2017

2017/2018

2018/2019

Sciences and arts

graduating students

Total

29

35

65

57

53

Female

23

29

50

41

35

Male

6

6

15

16

18

Figure 7. Sciences and Arts faculty graduated students

 

Tourism Sciences faculty

Specialty

Academic year

2014/2015

2015/2016

2016/2017

2017/2018

2018/2019

Tourism

graduating students

Total

16

7

20

18

27

Female

11

4

14

11

14

Male

5

3

6

7

13

Table 9. Graduated female students at Tourism Sciences faculty

Figure 8. Tourism Sciences faculty graduated students