Research Paper on Gender Equality in Education: A Global Overview Since 1995

Paper Type:  Literature review
Pages:  4
Wordcount:  989 Words
Date:  2023-03-04

Introduction

The purpose of this paper is to assess Global trends of gender equality in Education since the 1995 Beijing Conference on Women. Gender equality can be defined as a state where people of all genders, are at liberty to enjoy the same rights, access the equal opportunities and resources. Despite the tremendous progress made over the past two decades in regards to gender Equality in Education, there remains a gender gap in education. A recent survey by UNESCO (2017) shows that the state of girls' school has made significant improvements; however, girls are still most likely to never set foot in class compared to boys. Globally, there still is a big gap between male and female literacy trends. During the past two decades, the trend in global education has shifted significantly, and the strategies put in place to implement them. Varying patterns represent definite opportunities to improve the delivery of education across the globe in equal measures

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From the article presented: Assessing Gender mainstreaming in the education sector: depoliticized technique or a step towards women's rights and gender equality? By Elaine Unterhalter & Amy North (2010), gender mainstreaming in education has been comprehensively discussed. Looking at the topic of gender equality in education is essential because it sheds some light on the importance of education, especially to the girl child, such as diminishing poverty risk and giving her stronger economic leverage. Gender equality in school also makes women and girls globally be more empowered and emancipated. Department for International Development initiated work on gender equality in the 1980s, and the extent of this increased after the Beijing Conference in 1995, ending in the implementation of a strategy that pursued to combine precise work on women's empowerment to mainstream gender throughout its development programs.

Conventionally, education has often been regarded as a tool through which societal development can be achieved. Hence training can be described as an instrument designed for economic growth, reduced fertility, and reduced infant mortality rates. According to the literature in the article, education has the potential to reproduce and transform social stratification and gender division. According to Unterhalter, the concern with advancing education for girls because it is a more straightforward way of looking at things will tend to privilege the meaning of gender streaming that is concerned with specific approaches for the increase of female enrollment in the education sector (Unterhalter, E., Amy N. et al 2014). As a result, limited goals tend to be achieved in gender equality, contrasting with discussions on gender equality. Hence, gender equality viewed as something of meaning since it expresses important social ideals.

One of the diverse ways that gender mainstreaming in education has been defined as is, counting the number of girl students or female teachers in a school system, which is in tandem with Squire's (2005) identification of inclusion as a form of gender mainstreaming. Subrahmanian,(2007), in her discussion regarding gender equality in Education, proposed understanding gender mainstreaming in terms of fields and scaling down on expectations. We can understand as focusing on each specific definition and meaning of Gender Equality and Education. However, a suggestion from McCowan is to give attention to gender equality in the education sector. Distinctive features of gender equality in education may be lost if care is not given to questions of content.

The article addresses different importance degrees given to the importance of education across various sectors globally. Amy North examines how the millennium development goals have put more attention on gender equality focusing on having equal numbers of both genders in learning institutions. However, it has failed to address the more critical question of empowerment, economic emancipation, and social transformations of both sexes. In their article, Margaret Meagher Shirley Miske and Dejaeghere are more concerned with the approaches that are implemented in the level of operations. Their report puts into consideration the implementation of specially developed strategies for gender analysis in education. The Common Indicator Framework is designed, in this case, to integrate dimensions concerned with the quality of education, gender equality, and empowerment. They propose a particular methodology that could be helpful in the delivery of equal knowledge to both men and women.

Gender equality in education varies in different communities of the world; for the past two decades, there has been an upward trend in the enrollment of girls in academic institutions. However, in areas where there is still a significant gap in gender equality in education, there are some underlying factors. In a country such as Nigeria, a publication by Oluwafunmilayo Para-Mallam, shows that cultural and religious practices play a crucial role in gender inequality in education. She goes on to explore how pervasive cultural and religious traditions have hindered enrollment of girls into learning institutions despite there being national policies implemented to promote gender equality in education.

Louise Morley comprehensively explores the approaches to gender mainstreaming in education in higher learning institutions. Gender equality in education has been of value in the sense that it has enabled some young girls and women to access quality academic programs in equal measure to their male counterparts. However, it has failed to protect the women from gender discriminatory practices experienced in institutions of higher learning and social empowerment of the women who go through the education system. Gender equality has seen a significant improvement over the past decades; the rate of female enrollment in academic institutions has improved. With women accessing quality education, globally, the society is bound to benefit economically since the women will be well equipped to fit in and empowered enough to contribute to the development of the economy.

References

Unterhalter, E., & Amy N., (2010) Assessing Gender mainstreaming in the education sector: depoliticized technique or a step towards women's rights and gender equality?

DFID (2007) Gender Equality Action Plan: Making faster progress to gender equality

Unterhalter, E., Amy N. et al (2014) Interventions to Enhance girls 'Education and Gender Equality

UNESCO (2017) Accountability for Gender Equality. Retrieved from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/arkl:/48223/pf0000261596

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Research Paper on Gender Equality in Education: A Global Overview Since 1995. (2023, Mar 04). Retrieved from https://proessays.net/essays/research-paper-on-gender-equality-in-education-a-global-overview-since-1995

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