ABSTRACT
The task of transforming society’s gender beliefs and practices in the direction of equality and democracy is immensely complex. The formal educational system can emerge as an important means to achieve social transformation because it serves an increasingly larger sector of the population, which is staying longer in educational institutions. There is strong evidence that education is beneficial for women, as educated women are able to have better lives for themselves and for their children, as reflected in lower rates of fertility and child mortality, and higher rates of political participation and access to the labour market.1 Yet, while positive outcomes can be linked to education, key asymmetries in society remain. Women’s access to a full citizenship remains limited, as many civil and economic rights do not reach them. Not only do two-thirds of the world’s illiterates continue to be women (UNESCO 2006), but most countries do not grant women crucial inheritance, property and divorce rights, a situation that is worse in African and Middle Eastern countries and better in Latin America and former socialist countries in Asia (Lloyd 2005). Moreover, men’s sense of entitlement permeates many cultures at macro and micro levels, contributing to create polarized conceptions of masculinity and femininity.
