ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the ways in which women and men fashion their gender identities and how these identities are tied to their understanding of the role of education in their lives. It dicusses the distinct lived experiences of women, and highlights men’s gendering processes. The globalization of the economy has brought about striking changes in traditional gender roles and family structures. The restructuring of labor markets and concomitant changes in gender and family ideologies have resulted in a large increase in the number of female-headed households across the globe. Because women’s gender roles scripted them to assume adult responsibilities at an early age, they were also more likely than men to have served as institutional brokers for their families. The chapter deals with the question of how changing gender roles influence the outlooks of women and men toward the role of education in their lives. It finds that gender-biased child-rearing practices within the home setting have an important influence.
