Expanding the field of comparative and international education: The inclusion of gender

Abstract

Gender operates through both evident and subtle structures, beliefs, and behaviors. My ideas on gender have evolved toward complexity in terms of the knowledge that is needed for the transformation of a gendered society and the role of the state in maintaining a gendered society and thus the fundamental task of making demands upon it. This realization also includes the imperative of counting on women-led organizations at the collective level and empowerment (conceptualized as a coherent whole comprising four interactive dimensions) in strategic efforts to achieve change at institutional and national levels. One cannot overestimate the importance of access by girls and women to formal education; yet, the struggle for gender justice demands more than parity. Emerging as indispensable analytical tools are the development and application of gender theory that enables us to distinguish between deep causes and tangible manifestations, and a theory of action that identifies the multiple set of actors, sectors, steps, and resources required to remove the negative effects of gender upon social life. Work on gender requires both academic engagement and social activism. Within CIES, the functioning of the Gender and Education Committee has served to promote gender and feminist research among established and new scholars.