Journal #11: Human Rights: Promoting gender equality in and through education

Abstract: Behind what is being shown regarding the gender inequality in education, Duncan clarifies what could be the causal factors for it and several terms that should be considered to approach this problem more accurately and uniformly.

Achieving gender 'equality' is equally important as promoting gender parity. Parity is a quantitative concept; equality is a qualitative one.

UN Speicial Rapporteur shows that availability, accessibility, and adaptability of education are important. 

Availability: (surprisingly) includes the single sex schools 

Acceptability: boys and girls should be treated as same, without any stereotype of women as "unsuited to academic achievement". 

Adabtability: Education should not reinforce extant societal patterns that discriminate certain groups

Sub-Saharan Africa has the largest group of countries that do not have compulsory educational legislation. (DRC is one of the 40 countries which do have no compulsory education)

Some suggestion: it is important to keep this 'gender equality' in selecting teachers. 

In all regions of the world the proportion of female teachers at secondary and higher education levels is lower than that at the primary level. This can explain for lower enrollment of girls in education, where parents refuse to allow their female children to be taught by male teachers, as Egypt has reported. 

Raise the wage of teachers.

Studeis of earnings have revealed that in some major cities around the world (Lagos, Jakarta, and Sao Paulo), bus drivers earn more than teachers. 

  

Ensure security of girls at school: Abused at school

Sexual abuse and physical violence against girls are particularly invidious dangers. 

Girl students are dropping out because of excessive bullying and terrorizing - and rape (Ohsako, 1997, p.36). 

Protect pregnant girls from being excluded in education 

In many countries pregnant girls face expulsion from formal education. Even unmarried teachers can be fired owing to pregnancy. 

Define the minimum age of marriage to protect girls 

Marriage is repeatedly asserted as one of the principal reasons for female desertion, or exclusion, from education. Egypt and Morocco report that female drop-out in rural areas can be attributed in significant degree to early marriage.