No. 45 (2024): Gender equality policies in higher education: Atlantic and african universities

Since the 1970s, international organisations have been working towards gender equality, as exemplified by the entry into force of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) (1981) and the rise in equal opportunities policies since the adoption of the UN Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action(1995).  

These policies have also gained prominence in the field of education, as currently worldwide: “general or inclusive education laws under education ministry responsibility focus on people with disabilities in 79% of countries, linguistic minorities in 60%, gender equality in 50% and ethnic and indigenous groups in 49%” (UNESCO, 2020: 30). This clearly points to the increasing commitments of countries to gender equality in education, and to the commitment of states to meet Sustainable Development Goal 4 “Quality Education” and SDG 5 “Gender Equality”.