Read the excerpt: 'Jordanian women have achieved notable parity in higher education enrollment, comprising over 55 percent of undergraduate students in national universities and excelling in STEM fields such as pharmacy and computer software engineering. However, economic participation rates remain disproportionately lower, highlighting a persistent structural gap between educational attainment and formal labor force absorption.'
What paradox does the passage describe regarding Jordanian women in education and the economy?

Answer and explanation

Correct answer: A. High academic achievement and university enrollment contrasted with significantly lower formal workforce participation

  1. Step 1: Identify the contrasting trends: (1) over 55% of university students and strong performance in STEM disciplines, (2) disproportionately lower labor force participation.
  2. Step 2: Synthesize paradox: Educational attainment does not translate proportionately into economic workforce employment due to societal, logistical, or structural hurdles.
  3. Step 3: Confirm selection.
Answer
High academic achievement and university enrollment contrasted with significantly lower formal workforce participation.
Why not the others: 'Total exclusion from university' is contradicted by 55% enrollment; 'Equal parliament with zero primary school' is false; 'High factory work with zero literacy' inverts the described scenario.

Practise more Academic Reading Comprehension.

Free questions with an explanation for every one, and full timed University of Jordan English Proficiency Test (JU-EPT) mock tests.

All Academic Reading Comprehension questionsTake a mock test

More Academic Reading Comprehension questions