Uneven retention

Abstract This study investigates gender inequalities in continued participation in competitive debate within Spanish-speaking university contexts. Quantitative data from major international Spanish-language debate tournaments held between 2020 and 2024 were analyzed. The findings indicate that men tend to remain involved in competitive debate for longer periods than women. This pattern is consistent with the perceptions reported by members of equity committees from different tournaments between 2020 and 2025, who were interviewed to provide complementary qualitative perspectives. In addition, greater experience is associated with higher competitive performance for both women and men. However, when debaters are grouped into novice and more experienced categories, the analyses do not reveal systematic or persistent gender-based differences in competitive performance.