ABSTRACT
Equality of opportunity and gender equality are issues of social, economic and moral importance, they concern society as a whole and have particular significance for those of us involved in education and in teacher training. In considering the implications of gender equity issues it is helpful to consider the ways that the feminist critique of education gave rise to, and fuelled, equality reforms. The causes of inequalities have historically been conceptualised separately within education. This has led to a failure to take account of the myriad ways that ethnicity, class and gender intersect In turn, this ‘fragmented’ approach contributed to the development of different phases, with differing emphases and concerns, within policy formation and reforms.
