Gender & Subject in Higher Education

Gender and Subject in Higher Education was published by the Open University Press in 1990. It was a revised and shortened version of a Ph.D. thesis.

Some comments from reviews
"...a fascinating and original book." (Higher Education)

"...presented with exemplary clarity...Kim Thomas has something essential to say to us all." (Times Educational Supplement)

"The clarity of her writing is to be commended...Kim Thomas' style of writing is lucid and accessible." (Youth & Policy)

"...very readable and accessible to a general audience. The central arguments are well presented and supported by the empirical data." (Adults Learning)

What's the book about?
The book took as its starting point the idea that most sociologists regard primary and secondary education as instrumental in reproducing inequality between the sexes, while the role of higher education is ignored. Sociologists have assumed, not only that higher education has no role in reproducing inequality, but that reaching higher education is, in itself a sign of success - any student who makes it as far as higher education must be privileged. The book challenges conventional assumptions by asking whether higher education itself plays a role in creating inequality.