Abstract
Over the past decades, the number of non-traditional students attending higher education has grown worldwide. Governments and institutions encourage underrepresented students to enroll, often with two main goals: to boost national economic competitiveness and to enhance social inclusion in higher education for traditionally excluded groups, like older students. There is neither a policy nor academic consensus on what constitutes a mature student (O'Shea & Stone, 2011). In this study, we define mature women students as being 21 years or older when starting a bachelor's degree. The analysis of seven interviews conducted in Germany and India compares their sociodemographic profiles, their motivation for university study, the barriers they had to overcome, and the mechanisms of support they could count on, following the comparative method developed by Egetenmeyer (2012). The results show how structural conditions can facilitate or hinder mature women's access to and persistence in higher education.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
