A matter of right and reason
The book Nowhere in the world has gender equality been fully achieved. Even in countries that rank highest in the world on globally accepted gender equality indices, the gender gap in areas such as economic outcomes and political empowerment remains significant. This is compounded by the increasing invisibility of the barriers that prevent gender equality from being achieved in all spheres of life. Therefore examining the factors that might prevent women from taking up higher management positions in education is critical for developing appropriate policy options for ministries of education to improve gender equality at middle management and leadership positions. This publication addresses the concern of the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) that much of the currently available research on gender in education has limited its focus on gender equality to access to primary and secondary education. The research therefore investigates the ‘labyrinth’ that women must navigate on the path to senior leadership positions in ministries of education in Argentina and Kenya and offers generic strategies for overcoming these barriers.
International Institute for Educational Planning
A matter of right and reason Gender equality in educational planning and management Edited by Lyndsay Bird
The authors Lyndsay Bird (Ed.) Helen Baños-Smith Natalia Gherardi Ana Obura Tina Wallace
ISBN: 978-92-803-1380-2
Edited by Lyndsay Bird
International Institute for Educational Planning
Gender equality in education
A matter of right and reason: Gender equality in educational planning and management
A matter of right and reason: gender equality in educational planning and management
Lyndsay Bird with
Anna Obura, Natalia Gherardi, Tina Wallace, and Helen Baños-Smith
International Institute for Educational Planning
Published by the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning 7–9 rue Eugène Delacroix, 75116 Paris, France
[email protected] www.iiep.unesco.org
© UNESCO 2015 ISBN: 978-92-803-1380-2
This publication is available in Open Access under the Attribution- NonCommercial - ShareAlike 3.0 IGO (CC-BY-ND 3.0 IGO) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo/). By using the content of this publication, the users accept to be bound by the terms of use of the UNESCO Open Access Repository (http://en.unesco.org/open-access/terms-use-ccbyncsa-en). The present license applies exclusively to the text content of the publication.
The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this review do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO or IIEP concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or its authorities, or concerning its frontiers or boundaries. The views and opinions expressed in this book are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of UNESCO or IIEP. The publication costs of this study have been covered through a grant-in-aid offered by UNESCO and by voluntary contributions made by several Member States of UNESCO, the list of which will be found at the end of the volume.
Cover photo: shutterstock_4436896_Juha Sompinmäki Graphic design: IIEP Cover design: IIEP Typesetting: Linéale Production Printed in IIEP’s printshop
Acknowledgements A number of individuals have been instrumental in ensuring this publication finally came to light – not least the contributing authors, Anna Obura, Natalia Gherardi, Tina Wallace, and Helen Baños-Smith. Particular thanks should go to Marjan Kroon and the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for the financial support needed to take forward the gender programme at IIEP, of which this research is a small part. Colleagues at IIEP, such as the Director, Suzanne Grant Lewis, as well as Margarita Poggi an
