Redefining the Desire to Emigrate from Gender Perspective: A Critical Analysis of Massification of Iranian Higher Education

An ever-increasing trend of international migration of educated and skilled Iranian women over the past years has been one of the policy challenges and requires a comprehensive pathological study. The current research seeks to investigate the effects of the unbridled expansion of higher education in accelerating the migration of skilled women abroad. This is a qualitative study where the data is based on 24 semi-structured interviews with women PhD holders who are intentionally want to go abroad to pursue their studies or career. A set of factors at two micro levels such as the requirements of the individual’s social environment along with effective factors at the macro level lack like the role of telecommunication especially internet and likewise level of welfare and educational and living standard of industrialized countries, gender inequality in accessing available opportunities, The dominance of quantum in promoting university institutions, the slight growth of higher education and imbalance with the needs and capacity of the labor market reinforce the fantasy of migration and the overflow of talents into a fantasy world called "foreign". A review of policies of the Ministry of Education and Universities and coherent planning in order to direct social demands to the needs of the labor market, focus more on research instead of training of academic departments, cultivate specialized and committed manpower, strengthen cooperation are required in order to creating a fertile and safe scientific environment for young professionals and trying to reduce gender gaps which will slow the migration of educated women.