Getting gender onto the policy agenda

How far has knowledge about causes of gender disparities in education been incorporated into the design or reform of government and donor policies? And how have political and bureaucratic constraints affected specific reform measures? University of Sussex research in Malawi, Tanzania and Zimbabwe tracked and compared steps taken by governments, donor agencies and NGOs to tackle gender inequalities in the education system.

Bilateral agencies DFID (the UK Department of State for International Development) and Sweden's international development agency, Sida, came under scrutiny in the study, together with the UN specialised agency Unicef. In each case the researchers asked:

• On what knowledge of gender and education was design of policies or projects based?
• How - if at all - was this knowledge built into the policymaking process?
• How have lessons from past efforts been built into subsequent actions?
• What constituencies and alliances in and outside each country have supported gender equality in education?

Despite efforts by governments to improve overall access of children to schooling, educational outcomes for girls continue to be poor in all three countries, and more so at post-primary levels. The study shows that better knowledge and information about gender inequalities in education is useful but will not guarantee effective gender interventions.

In the past, gender interventions have often been introduced in a piecemeal and uncoordinated manner. Bureaucratic resistance and lack of meaningful dialogue between donors and governments has limited effective action. Other findings were:

• Gender initiatives in education are mainly 'donor driven' and often over-reliant on key individuals.
• Predominance of male policy-makers and the weakness of women's ministries and gender units within government inhibits progress towards gender equality.
• Structural adjustment and resulting cuts in social provision act as a brake on girls' education.
• The current donor focus on basic education ignores the glaring disadvantages faced by girls at post-primary levels.
• Unless prioritised at an early stage, gender issues could be lost in the current donor shift from project to programme aid.

Policy points arising from these findings were:

• Donors, governments and NGOs should work more closely together to develop and apply new measures to promote gender equality at every level.
• Donors and governments should ensure wider dissemination of existing research and information concerning gender and education.
• Gender interventions in education should be placed in the context of a national gender policy.
• Greater transparency in policy design and implementation is needed, along with the greater use of participatory methods.

More generally, gender interventions in education in Malawi, Tanzania and Zimbabwe are unlikely to be effective and sustainable unless they form part of broad packages of social and political reform.

Source(s):
Promoting Girls' Education in Africa. The Design and Implementation of Policy Interventions. Education Research Serial #25, DFID. By Swainson, N. et al. (1998) Full document.

Funded by: DFID Education Division

id21 Research Highlight: 3 March 1999

Further Information:
Nicola Swainson
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