Ei-iE

G.M.B.Akash
G.M.B.Akash

Advancing Gender Equality in and through Education

Spotlight

Quality education is a human right that is a precondition for the self-realisation of women and girls. We believe that quality education is crucial to ensure equal job opportunities, equal access and equal pay for work of equal value, and competitive advantage for women in the global economy.

This starts with access to education but goes far beyond to include the content of education, which must challenge gender stereotypes through curricula, pedagogy, teaching methods and teaching materials. Through education, women and girls can have improved access to career development, financial independence and autonomy, as well as to full participation in the social and political life of their societies.

A great majority of the 32 million educators we represent are women. We work to ensure that women in education have the opportunities and support to lead throughout the sector, within their schools, educational institutions and their unions.

Our Gender Equality Action Plan highlights three main priorities:

  1. Promoting women’s leadership and participation within education unions;
  2. Taking action to increase intersectional gender equality in and through education;
  3. Promoting and securing women’s economic empowerment.

Our work on gender equality is advanced through a number of global structures and regional networks:

  • The Education International Status of Women Committee comprising all female members of our Executive Board;
  • Regional and Sub-Regional Women’s Networks;
  • A quadrennial Women’s Caucus, ahead of each Education International Congress (EI’s highest decision-making body);
  • Triennial EI World Women’s Conferences.

Our work on gender equality

  1. Equity and inclusion 29 March 2023

    UN Conference on the Status of Women: We need action to make gender equality in the digital age a reality

    The 67th session of the UN Committee on the Status of Women (CSW67) held in New York, March 6 to 17 adopted conclusions that acknowledge the critical role of technology and innovation in achieving gender equality and recognise the challenges to gender equality in the digital age.

    Read more UN Conference on the Status of Women: We need action to make gender equality in the digital age a reality
  2. Equity and inclusion 9 March 2023

    Supporting women’s participation and leadership through digital technologies: lessons from the experiences of education unions during Covid-19.

    Carol Miller, Houda Sabra

    The global Covid-19 pandemic significantly impacted women workers. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) documented disproportionate job and income losses suffered by women worldwide during the pandemic : in 2019-2020 alone, women’s employment declined by 4.2% (or 54 million jobs). The situation has put women at greater risk of job loss,...

    Read more Supporting women’s participation and leadership through digital technologies: lessons from the experiences of education unions during Covid-19.
  3. Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 7 March 2023

    Understanding and taking action for gender equality in science and technology

    Lina Ethel Merino

    On February 11, the world marked the International Day of Women and Girls in Science with the aim of raising awareness of the barriers that prevent women from accessing the world of science and technology, as well as promoting their full and equal participation in the sector. What are these...

    Read more Understanding and taking action for gender equality in science and technology
  4. Equity and inclusion 7 March 2023

    Teachers raise their voice for gender-responsive and empowering public education at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women

    The sixty-seventh Session of the Commission on the Status of Women takes place at the United Nations Headquarters, in New York, from 6 to 17 March 2023. The Education International delegation is there to call on all governments to Go Public and Fund Education , so that all women and...

    Read more Teachers raise their voice for gender-responsive and empowering public education at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
  5. Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 6 March 2023

    Are new technologies feminist?

    Pauline Schnegg

    Surprisingly, while most teachers (70% of teachers in France are women) are in favour of equality between girls and boys, as soon as the words “feminist pedagogy” are uttered, they are met with confusion and even rejection. It is like claiming to be in favour of equality without promoting the...

    Read more Are new technologies feminist?
more: Our work on gender equality

Ending school related gender based violence

  1. Equity and inclusion

    Strategies to end school-related gender-based violence

    The experience of education unions in Africa
    22 December 2019

    The issue of gender-based violence in and around schools and other educational settings is particularly important to education unions and their members. Since everyone in schools – teachers, students, support personnel - can be perpetrator and victim, SRGBV is a violation of both the right to quality education and the...

    Strategies to end school-related gender-based violence
    1. Download
  2. Equity and inclusion

    Working to end school related gender based violence

    Writings by representatives of education unions from Eastern, West and Southern Africa
    22 December 2019

    The Education International (EI) initiative Education Unions take Action to End School Related Gender Based Violence, is part of more than 30 years of international advocacy to advance gender equality in education and in unions.

    Working to end school related gender based violence
    1. Download
  3. Equity and inclusion 7 December 2022

    #16Days | Using technology to foster meaningful conversations on gender-based violence

    Aayushi Aggarwal

    Over the past two years, the world has undergone massive changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These abrupt and unpredictable changes have required adjustments to how we work and have challenged us to re-think, re-assess and re-formulate our approaches and engagements. Gender at Work’s engagement with Education International on capacity...

    Read more #16Days | Using technology to foster meaningful conversations on gender-based violence
  4. Equity and inclusion

    Building Momentum to End School-Related Gender-Based Violence in the Time of COVID-19

    1 December 2022

    In 2021-22, Education International (EI), with the technical support of Gender at Work (G@W) and financial contribution from the National Education Association (NEA, USA) implemented a nine-month learning cycle to build further momentum among education unions in Africa to take action to end School-Related Gender-Based Violence (SRGBV).

    Building Momentum to End School-Related Gender-Based Violence in the Time of COVID-19
    1. Download the report
    2. Baixe o relatório
  5. Equity and inclusion 30 November 2021

    Education unions adapt their approaches to address school-related gender-based violence through the pandemic

    Rex Fyles

    Over the last six years, Gender at Work (G@W) has been collaborating with Education International (EI) to put education unions at the forefront of global efforts to end gender-based violence in and around schools. When we started, I had no idea what ‘SRGBV’ meant, let alone how to pronounce it....

    Read more Education unions adapt their approaches to address school-related gender-based violence through the pandemic
more: Ending school related gender based violence

Our policy on gender equality

  1. Equity and inclusion 31 July 2023

    Empowering Women Education Workers: Summary of the EILA Regional Network Meeting

    The meeting provided an opportunity for analysis of the current situation, workshops and discussions between colleagues from all over the region. Initiatives such as the campaign for the ratification of ILO Convention 190 and the launch of the Network’s Observatory: Sumemos Igualdad (Let’s Ad Equality).

    Read more Empowering Women Education Workers: Summary of the EILA Regional Network Meeting
more: Our policy on gender equality