Ensuring equivalence of educational rights.

 

Despite decades of striving towards gender equality in education, there remains considerable disparity in the treatment of girls and women, in relation to boys and men, in education systems. An entire treaty - the CEDAW was adopted to tackle the multiple pervasive forms of gender discrimination. The CEDAW outlines specific rights for women in education including many that ensure ‘equal access’, for example to the same: curricula; examinations; teaching staff with qualifications of the same standard; school premises of the same quality; to scholarship and other study grants; programmes of continuing education; the same conditions for career and vocational guidance, and so on (article 10). Considering the CADE was elaborated over sixty years ago, it does not refer to gender but instead it explicitly states that sex-based discrimination must be eradicated and prevented. In the spirit of inclusivity, however, it is essential to look beyond ensuring equivalence of educational rights and focus on addressing the specific barriers faced by girls and women. SDG 4, under Target 4.5, calls for the elimination of gender disparities and makes specific mention of the effect of ‘gender-based violence, child marriage, early pregnancy and a heavy load of household chores’ on the enjoyment of girls’ and young women’s education. Targeted action for boys, in contexts where they are disadvantaged, is also highlighted. Boys make up more than half of out of school children and more must be done to tackle their propensity for drop-out, grade repetition and disengagement from education (UNESCO, 2022b). Differential social norms, power dynamics and expectations faced by boys also need to be addressed. One common and often damaging life experience that girls and young women around the world face is early marriage and unintended pregnancy. The Global Conversation highlighted that many perceive this to be the foremost obstacle to education for girls and women in their countries. This is a global problem that plagues diverse global contexts and affects many girls, with one in five girls worldwide married before the age of 18 (Girls not Brides, n.d.). The link between early pregnancy and school dropout can be difficult to establish as it is difficult to ascertain which is the cause and which is the consequence, though a study in Chile found that being a mother reduces a girl’s likelihood of attending and completing high school by between 24-37% (UNESCO, 2017b). Regardless, early pregnancy is dangerous in and of itself – adolescent mothers aged 10-19 years face higher risks of pregnancy related complications, resulting in morbidity or mortality, than women aged 20-24 years (WHO, 2023, see also Maheshwari et al, 2022; Plan International, 2013a). One way to protect both girls and boys from the negative consequences of early marriage and pregnancy would be through constructing a right to receive education for health and well-being, including comprehensive sexuality education (‘CSE’). CSE notably also contributes to preventing sexual abuse, sexual violence, sexual harassment and sexual exploitation, which are experiences faced by all learners, (UNESCO, 2018). UN treaty bodies have viewed a lack of access to sexual and reproductive education as a barrier to compliance with State obligations to guarantee the rights to life, health, information, education and non-discrimination, and have frequently expressly recommended that sexual and reproductive education should be a mandatory component of learning (Muñoz, 2010). Another significant progression would be to eliminate policies and practices that expel or exclude pregnant girls and young mothers and explicitly provide for their continued education (World Vision, 2020). In a recent UNESCO research project, Her Atlas13, that monitors the right to education for girls in national frameworks, only 26% States were found to have laws that explicitly protected the right to education for pregnant or parenting girls and women, while 8% of States actively restricted their right to education. Education can also play a role in overcoming inherent stigmatization and bias that is mirrored in wider society. In the context of the 10th Consultation, some States described progressive steps that overcame gender stereotypical patterns (UNESCO, 2022c). 49 countries (60%) reported adopting measures ensuring gender parity in STEM and technical and vocational training (TVET), for example the Advancing Women in STEM strategy unveiled by Australia in 2019 and in Germany, an annual ‘Girls’ Day’ promoting girls’ interest in STEM subjects and a ‘Boys’ Day’ for professions generally chosen by women.