This paper proposes that multiple disparities in education might be best addressed by working through gender. It provides an exploration of the gender disparities pointing out links to the social and educational exclusion of marginalised groups. The discussion is structured around three main themes: Identities, Power and Processes and Methodologies. This paper was presented at the UNGEI Global Advisory Committee Technical Meeting.
This paper tries to build on lessons learned about gender and use it to inform how addressing wider social exclusion and multiple disparities in education. Here gender is used as an entry point into analysing multiple structures of exclusion and the ways that the (re-)construction of these identities that serve to maintain the global economic status quo.
Focusing on gender, the first two themes concentrate on general principles that describe how exclusions operate in social contexts. The interplay of power and identities in the social processes of institutions give rise to gender and other disparities. Because gender identities are always cross cut by economic status, ethnicity, religion, disability, etc., it becomes an entry point for intervention to interrupt these systems and address multiple disparities. The third theme offers critical reflections on how knowledge and evidence is gathered about educational exclusion.
Some of the key problems associated with the reliance on quantitative data are discussed. Throughout the paper the significance of the social context is emphasised in configuring different forms of exclusion in different places. The paper concludes with a discussion on the meanings of access that is the central commitment. On this basis it raises questions about how gender might be used to construct policy, advocacy and intervention to address multiple disparities.
