Has the gender question at Makerere university become of age? Lessons from female dominated graduation statistics.
During the recent 74 th graduation at Makerere University, one of the talking points of the glamourous week-long event was on the numbers of female graduands that the university registered. Accordingly, 53% of the graduands across all disciplines were female while 47% were males. This gender disaggregated statistic is not an isolated case. Recent statistics released by the university indicate that in 2020, the university graduated 50.5% females which increased to 51% in 2021, 52% in 2022 as well as 2023. Why did these statistics, which to some commentators, look insignificant, trigger anxieties in the public? What is there to know beyond the 5-year statistics of apparent female progress in university completion? Undoubtedly, the statistics have occupied a significant part of public debate, framing different narratives on what possibly accounts for a ‘steady’ increase in the female graduates on the one hand and seeming decline in males’ completion of university education. There a