In contemporary educational research, practice and policy, ‘indigenous women’ have emerged as an important focus in the global education arena and the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. This edited book investigates what is significant about indigenous women and their learning in terms of policy directions, research agendas and, not least, their own aspirations. The book examines contemporary education policy and questions the dominant deficit discourse of indigenous women as vulnerable. By contrast, this publication demonstrates the marginalisations and multiple discriminations that indigenous women confront as indigenous persons, as women and as indigenous women. Chapters draw on ethnographic research in Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Mexico, Nepal, Peru and the Philippines and engage with indigenous women’s learning from the perspectives of rights, gender equality and cultural, linguistic and ontological diversity. The book investigates intergenerational and intercultural learning and indigenous women’s agency and power in the face of complex and dynamic changing social, physical, economic and cultural environments. The grounded ethnographic chapters illustrate indigenous women’s diverse historical and contemporary experiences of inequalities, opportunities and formal education and how these influence their strengths, learning aspirations and ways of learning, as well as their values, demands, desires and practices. Chapters 1– 6 and 8 in this book were originally published in a special issue of the journal Studies in the Education of Adults.

In contemporary educational research, practice and policy, 'indigenous women' have emerged as an important focus in the global education arena and the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. This edited book investigates what is significant about indigenous women and their learning in terms of policy directions, research agendas and, not least, their own aspirations. The book examines contemporary education policy and questions the dominant deficit discourse of indigenous women as vulnerable. By contrast, this publication demonstrates the marginalisations and multiple discriminations that indigenous women confront as indigenous persons, as women and as indigenous women. Chapters draw on ethnographic research in Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Mexico, Nepal, Peru and the Philippines and engage with indigenous women's learning from the perspectives of rights, gender equality and cultural, linguistic and ontological diversity. The book investigates intergenerational and intercultural learning and indigenous women's agency and power in the face of complex and dynamic changing social, physical, economic and cultural environments. The grounded ethnographic chapters illustrate indigenous women's diverse historical and contemporary experiences of inequalities, opportunities and formal education and how these influence their strengths, learning aspirations and ways of learning, as well as their values, demands, desires and practices. Chapters 1- 6 and 8 in this book were originally published in a special issue of the journal Studies in the Education of Adults.

What does quality gender-equitable education look like? How can NGOs, practitioners, policymakers, and researchers work together to achieve it? This book tackles these issues, drawing on the work of the Beyond Access, Gender, Education and Development project a partnership between Oxfam GB, the Institute of Education (University of London), and the UK Department for International Development.The contributors discuss some of the key challenges in achieving gender equality in education, provide examples of initiatives in a range of contexts, and make recommendations for action. They suggest that there is an even bigger goal to aim for than gender parity (the same proportion of girls and boys entering and completing schooling). We need to work towards an equitable education system that allows all individuals, irrespective of gender, to develop their potential. This book is invaluable for anyone involved in developing policy and good practice for quality education for all.

In a world in which poverty, social prejudice and poor-quality provision cause an estimated 100 million girls to drop out of school before completing their primary education, it is not enough for governments to pledge themselves to increase girls' access to school. This book presents a vision of a transformational education which would promote social change, enable girls to achieve their full potential and contribute to the creation of a just and democratic society. Contributors to this book examine the extent and causes of gender-based inequality in education, analyse government policies and their implications for women's empowerment and report on original field-work in a range of local contexts where gender-equality initiatives have flourished. In their introduction and their concluding chapter Sheila Aikman and Elaine Unterhalter consider the challenges that confront policy makers, practitioners, campaigners and researchers if they are to make real progress towards gender equality in education, in the context of the Millennium Development Goals.