ABSTRACT
That religious traditions shape aspirations and place constraints on the education that women receive in any given society is a well documented observation in the social sciences. That women can use education to alter their roles as mothers, workers, citizens and improve the quality of their lives is a cherished assumption of feminists in both Western and nonWestern developed and developing societies. In making an assessment regarding the role of education in altering women's roles and status, or improving the quality of their lives, we need to examine the ways in which
the social, political and economic context of education influences the lives of women in particular.
