Girls’ Education: The Power of Policy Discourse

• In Event: International Gender Issues in Education

Abstract

Girls' education is a high priority in international development policy. The discursive framing of girls' education, however, limits the potential for fully achieving gender equity. This study analyzes 300 policy documents from 14 agencies, reports on their discursive arguments for educating girls, and shows that the robustness of "gender" as a theoretical construct is limited. Policy remains focused on girls and not gender, and on easily measurable indicators (counting boys and girls in school) and not social processes that maintain gender inequities.

Authors

• Karen L. Monkman, DePaul University

• Lisa Hoffman, Indiana University - Southeast