Gender, Equality and Education from International and Comparative Perspectives

This volume of International Perspectives on Education and Society investigates the often-controversial relationship between gender, equality, and education from international and comparative perspectives. Much has been written about the global progress made toward gender parity in enrollment and curriculum in nations around the world. Yet, while there have been many positive advances regarding girls' and women's education around the world, there are still significant differences that are institutionalized in the policies and administrative structures of national education systems. While the differences in schooling between boys and girls exist worldwide, evidence also suggests that girls' and women's education is strongly contextualized by the political, social, and economic environments of both local schools and national educational systems. Some of the most interesting recent comparative work on gender inequality in schools focuses on how gender intersects with 'real world' influences on equality like race, ethnicity, and class. In the 21st century, the concept of gender equality pervades world culture in every nation around the world - even in nations where gender equality has not been and may never be fully achieved. The question remains whether or not gender equality in education or the expectation of gender equality is being achieved in schools around the world. This is the international environment in which the contributors to this volume of the International Perspectives on Education and Society series address issues of gender and both inequality and efforts to achieve equality in education. Book jacket.