Abstract

While the concept of diversity in western universities generally implies multiplicity of ethnic groups on campus, in Tehran University where Islamic norms and values prevail, the presence of an equal proportion of male and female students supplies a type of diversity that is deemed desirable for academic integration and career development. In this study, a new measurement for assessing the magnitude of gender diversity is introduced. Data analysis demonstrates that during the first decade of the 21st century, numerical gender diversity in certain schools was enhanced by moving from a single gender dominance to an educational landscape where an approximately equal number of male and female students shared a common learning space. By the middle of the decade, however, the trend was reversed in the direction of female dominance as women’s achievement on the university entrance exams pushed the male applicants aside. Government intervention to promote or restrict gender diversity as economic and ideological policy initiatives is examined. The database study sheds light on the factors that would enhance women participation in university studies and workplaces in the second decade of the 21st century.