Measuring the Effectiveness of Affirmative Action in Female Students’ Regular Undergraduate University Enrolment in Ethiopia

Abstract

Studies in the Ethiopian context present qualitative descriptions of the contribution of Affirmative Action (AA) in enhancing females’  enrolment in higher education institutions. What is missing in these documents is the quantitative evidence to augment their arguments.  This study aimed at examining the quantitative effectiveness of AA in female students’ regular undergraduate enrolment in  government universities of Ethiopia. It was quantitative in its approach. The first-year enrolment data of both sexes and enrolment data  of female students (totally admitted, admitted through merit, and admitted through AA), eight years before and after the implementation  of AA were collected from the available documents. Data were analysed using counts, means, and percentages. The  findings revealed that the regular undergraduate female students’ enrolment has increased after the implementation of AA (from 14.4%  before AA to 39.8% after AA). Of this increase, 30.7% was due to meritbased admission and 9.04% was attributed to AA. Much of the  increase in female enrolment has resulted from merit-based admissions while the impact of AA was concluded to be modest (22.7% of  the total female undergraduate enrolment after AA), implying that at least one in five females were registered through AA measures. It is  recommended that the implementation of AA has to continue and its contribution has to increase so that gender equity in the sector can  be improved.