GENDER AND CONTRADICTORY DEFINITIONS OF UNIVERSITY ACCESSIBILITY

Studies of the relation of gender to university accessibility produce mixed results that call the very definition of ''accessibility'' into question. This study focuses on how gender mediates students' satisfac tion with their university (a key factor in student retention). The st udy concludes that behavioural and attitudinal operationalizations of accessibility can lead to contradictory results and explores the pract ical implications of these findings for university administrators and researchers.