Gender Disparities in Online Postgraduate Education: Graduate Perceptions of Quality and Career Impact
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63002/assm.405.1787Keywords:
online education, postgraduate programmes, quality assessment, gender perspective, graduate employabilityAbstract
This study examined perceived quality of massive online postgraduate programs and their impact on employment outcomes from a gender perspective. A descriptive-exploratory quantitative study was conducted with 815 graduates (2020–2025) from the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences at a private Latin American university. Participants completed a 19-item Likert-scale questionnaire assessing seven quality dimensions: planning, evaluation, learning resources, student support, faculty performance, technological platform, and graduate employment outcomes. Overall, graduates reported high satisfaction with program quality (α = .93); however, significant gender disparities emerged. Women reported lower technical support satisfaction (84.2% vs. 89.7% for men) and lower employment outcomes (68.9% employed in related fields vs. 77.5% for men; 65.5% perceiving improved opportunities vs. 75.6% for men). Findings underscore persistent structural inequities affecting women's return to work, including time constraints and digital inequality. Institutional policies promoting inclusive practices, equity-focused technologies, and longitudinal graduate tracking are recommended to ensure educational justice and gender-sensitive employability.
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