Gender Equity Policy: Africa

The marginalization of women higher education sector is a persistent global phenomenon, albeit in varying degrees across different countries. Even in countries with a long history of legislative interventions such as the United States, among others, patterns of marginalization persist as indicated in Table 1. While the concept of gender is not synonymous with women, many gender policies have focused on the education of girls and women.

Significant research that examines gender in education in sub-Saharan Africa has focused intensely on the education of girls in the primary and secondary education sectors. There are variations in education policies, gender, and equity policies, as well as patterns of education participation across the 54 countries represented on this continent. Decades of neglect of the higher education sector have ...