ABSTRACT
In 1993 and 1996 two schools for girls opened in a western Canadian province, one private and the other a publicly funded junior high program. The province is one that had been dominated by its rural population politically and demographically until the 1960s. Consequently, although in the forefront of economic growth and scientific and technological development in its cities, rural and generally conservative values remained common. This gave rise to questions about motivation in the opening of the schools. It seemed equally likely that the schools could be based on conservative or feminist values. Further, the schools opened at a time when school choice had become provincial policy. Parents could select a public school, and because the private school offered relatively low fees, more families could include it in their selection possibilities as well. The combination of two new girls-only schools and school choice created a unique opportunity for researching the role of gender in the decision-making processes of parents and their daughters.
