ABSTRACT
While many parts of the world are making significant strides toward “closing the gender gap” of school enrolment (Creighton & Park, 2010, p. 1; UNESCO, 2010), in certain regions of the world, girls still have difficulty gaining access to schools. One such place is the Peruvian Andes (Ames & Rojas, 2010). While many girls are now able to attend and complete primary school (equivalent to grades 1-6 in the United States), girls hoping to enroll in secondary school (grades 7 to 11) face severe obstacles. One of the most immediate and striking reasons for this difference is that, for many rural communities in the Cusco region of Peru, attending the nearest secondary school requires hours of travel. While boys can move to a larger town to attend school, many parents will not risk their daughters’ safety by allowing this move.
