Gender equality and expansion of higher education: Testing effectively maintained inequality theory against the case of China

Abstract Employing data from a national survey, the China College Student Survey (CCSS), this study tests the effectively maintained inequality (EMI) theory against the case of gender equality in China. Multiple regression models with interaction terms are used to investigate the gender gaps in access to elite higher education and performance at college. The study finds that the overall gender equality of higher education has been improved in China, though segmentally-maintained inequality (SMI) persists for female college students from rural and lower social status.