338 Women share their lived experiences
Three hundred and thirty eight women who have completed their tertiary education have been under close study by the
Aotearoa Tertiary Students’ Association (ATSA). The women were respondents to a Women & Student Debt survey distributed by ATSA through a wide network of women’s groups late last year.
Women are gaining tertiary qualifications in greater numbers than ever before. At all levels expect doctorates, they are
more likely than men to be graduating from our tertiary institutions.
“Little substantive investigation into the real social effects of the Student Loan Scheme has been done”, ATSA President
Julie Pettett stated. “The majority of tertiary students are women, and this study was designed to discover the real
effects of student debt on their lives.”
“We have experienced a decade of increasing student debt, and it is now time an analysis was done on the costs and
benefits of the Student Loan Scheme,” said Pettett. “The focus of the research has been on the lived experiences of
women, and how they perceive the benefits and deficits which have flowed from their Student Loan debts after they have
completed study.”
“Many people may be surprised about the actual effect of student debt on the lives of these women”, Pettett said. “We
will be presenting our findings to the government on Thursday, 26 September.”