ABSTRACT
Heightened interest in gender inequality in schools coincided with extensive international activity regarding the status of women. During the International Decade for Women (1975-1985) in particular, the United Nations and affiliated international governmental and nongovernmental organizations devoted considerable resoutces to projects to elevate the status of women worldwide. This attention to women's status unfolded during an era of significant expansion of educational systems in countries throughout the world. The number of schools, colleges, universities, and technical institutes increased dramatically as states attempted to transform educational systems from elite to mass institutions. New kinds of educational institutions were created, especially at the level of higher education. In addition, significant curricular changes took place at all levels, with the introduction of new fields of study and the reclassification of some fields, such as teacher training, from the secondary level to higher education.
