We present a review of higher education and education policy literature to understand better higher education institutions (HEIs) that serve sub-Saharan women in engineering. Our sub-Saharan women in engineering (SSAWE) literature-informed conceptual tool consists of five components to facilitate scholarly discussion about equity in higher education systems and facilitate interregional comparisons. The five components to study the educational experiences of women in engineering in this region include (1) a sociopolitical and historical national context for higher education policy, (2) critical discourse analysis of gender-based affirmative action policies, (3) enrollment and graduation data for female engineering students, (4) a longitudinal assessment of the employability of the engineering major, and (5) a qualitative campus climate survey of each country's flagship university. Our article introduces a conceptual investigation of the social, historical, and employment trends contextualizing engineering higher education in this region of Africa. We draw from existing literature about conceptual models predominantly used in higher education efforts toward undergraduate student success. When describing each SSAWE component, we include empirical and theoretical work that substantiates the need for each component and the benefits of the proposed methodology. More broadly speaking, this paper discusses how research employing the SSAWE framework could benefit key stakeholders who engage in policymaking. We suggest that sub-Saharan African universities should prioritize a regional comparative approach when designing support programs for underrepresented students in engineering. SSAWE will also generate more South–South comparisons that advance culturally situated analyses, contributing to higher education institutions’ advancementand the minoritized populations they serve.

中文翻译：

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撒哈拉以南地区工程高等教育中的女性：基于文献的研究工具

我们对高等教育和教育政策文献进行了回顾，以了解为撒哈拉以南工程领域女性提供更好服务的高等教育机构 (HEIs)。我们的撒哈拉以南工程领域女性 (SSAWE) 以文献为基础的概念工具由五个组成部分组成，旨在促进有关高等教育系统公平性的学术讨论并促进区域间比较。研究该地区工程领域女性教育经历的五个组成部分包括（1）高等教育政策的社会政治和历史国家背景，（2）基于性别的平权行动政策的批判性话语分析，（3）入学和毕业女性工科学生的数据，（4）对工程专业就业能力的纵向评估，以及（5）对每个国家旗舰大学的定性校园氛围调查。我们的文章介绍了对非洲该地区工程高等教育背景下的社会、历史和就业趋势的概念调查。我们从现有文献中汲取了主要用于高等教育本科生成功的概念模型的文献。在描述每个 SSAWE 组件时，我们包括了实证和理论工作，证实了每个组件的需求以及所提出方法的优点。更广泛地说，本文讨论了采用 SSAWE 框架的研究如何使参与政策制定的主要利益相关者受益。我们建议撒哈拉以南非洲大学在为工程领域代表性不足的学生设计支持计划时应优先考虑区域比较方法。SSAWE 还将开展更多南南比较，推进文化定位分析，促进高等教育机构的进步及其所服务的少数民族人口。