Beyond Access: Transforming Policy and Practice for Gender Equality in Education

In a world where poverty, social prejudice, and poor-quality provision prevent an estimated 100 million girls from completing primary education, it is not enough for governments to pledge themselves to expand girls’ access to school. This book presents a vision of a transformational education which would promote social change, enable girls to achieve their full potential, and help to create a just and democratic society. Contributors to this book examine the extent and causes of gender-based inequality in education; analyse government policies and their implications for women’s empowerment; and report on original field-work in a range of local contexts where gender-equality initiatives have flourished. In their introduction and their concluding chapter, Sheila Aikman and Elaine Unterhalter consider the challenges that confront policymakers, practitioners, campaigners, and researchers if they are to make real progress towards gender equality in education, in the context of the Millennium Development Goals.