TEHRAN Despite the fact that higher education facilities are available in the majority of the world's countries, very few women are participating in certain educational fields which have been traditionally dominated by men.

The traditional view, which emphasizes the necessity of women's participation in activities which are parallel to their duties as mothers and nurses, prevents them from entering fields of study dominated by men.

Humanities is a field of study in which women have made remarkable progress in recent years. In most parts of the world, women comprise some two-thirds of university students studying the humanities.

According to a UN report, women living in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and non-European developed countries mostly choose humanities to continue their higher education.

In certain regions such as Latin America, Eastern Europe and South Africa many women also study law and commerce.

Although men still dominate engineering, women are currently making remarkable progress in the abovementioned fields.

However, in Latin America, the Caribbean, North Africa and Western Europe, engineering is the main field of study for women.

The report added that only a limited number of men and women are studying agriculture. However, women comprise only one-third of university students studying agriculture, and this situation must change.