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In a groundbreaking achievement, Cyprus has been recognized for having the largest share of women pursuing master's studies in 2022 among all EU member states, according to the latest data from Eurostat, the European Union’s statistical service.
Out of 9,359 students enrolled in master’s (or equivalent) programs in Cyprus, a remarkable 6,948 were women, accounting for an impressive 74.2%. This figure not only topped the EU charts but was also far ahead of the second-place nation, Poland, which had 67.3% female students. Lithuania rounded out the top three with 66.1%.
At the EU level, women made up 58.6% of the total master's student body, with 905,678 women out of 1.5 million total students. In fact, across the EU, women outnumbered men in all countries at the master’s level, except for Luxembourg, where gender representation was nearly equal.
But it’s not just at the master’s level where Cyprus shines. The island also ranked second for the proportion of female doctoral students in 2022, with 58% of doctoral candidates being women. The total number of doctoral students in Cyprus stood at 143, and 83 of them were female. This placed Cyprus just behind Latvia (59.6%) but ahead of Lithuania (57.4%). At the EU level, women represented 48.5% of doctoral students in 2022, with some countries, like Luxembourg (42.3%) and Austria (43.3%), still reporting lower female participation.
One of the standout trends revealed in the data was Cyprus’ remarkable progress between 2013 and 2022. The share of women in doctoral programs grew by an impressive 8 percentage points, the highest increase among all EU countries. This surge reflects a broader European shift, with 19 EU nations seeing more women enrolling in doctoral studies.
While the percentage of women in master’s programs slightly decreased across the EU by 0.4 percentage points over the past decade, Cyprus has remained a beacon of gender equity in higher education.
These figures not only highlight the significant strides women are making in Cyprus but also offer a glimpse into the evolving landscape of higher education in the EU. As more women pursue advanced degrees, the shift toward gender equality in academia continues to gain momentum, with Cyprus at the forefront of this positive change.
*With information from CNA
