Gender norms and access to education

This module explains how gender norms interact with other factors to influence children’s access to education. It shows that although sometimes gender norms form a direct barrier, more often it is the interaction of gender norms, the education system, and the wider context that affect access. The module then discusses ways to reduce barriers that interact with gender norms to limit children’s access to education.

‘Gender remains a significant determinant of access to education and training among the most marginalized, especially for the poorest households, refugees and forcibly displaced persons.’ (INEE, 2021: 13)

Key messages

• Gender norms can have a direct effect on access to education, including norms that discourage adolescent mothers from returning to school.
• More commonly, multiple gender and wider social norms interact with each other, and with policy and contextual factors, to influence children’s access to education.
• Removing gendered barriers to access often means increasing affordability, reducing logistical barriers, and enhancing school safety and quality.
• These factors set the context in which gender norms influence decisions about educational participation.
• Community mobilisation is a key strategy in contexts where gender norms form a direct barrier to schooling, and to overcome common misperceptions about issues such as the benefits of education or the curriculum. It can also help to resolve practical barriers such as safe access to school.