ABSTRACT
Economic models have focused on the individual benefits of acquiring education in terms of economic mobility with little regard to gendered or social impacts. Studies of poor agricultural economies emphasise the multiple burdens that are faced by women and men in the world of work that limit the socially transformative role of education and the empowerment of women. In response to these conceptual frameworks, feminist critiques have called for a broader terrain that explicitly recognises the social construction of gender through the adoption of an expanded social science framework. The agendas of current providers of education are uncertain and there are concerns regarding the impact of different types of provision on gender equality. This chapter sets out the nature of this contestation with the aim of bringing the perspectives of educational providers to bear upon national and international goals of gender access and equality.
