Quality education is a human right that is a precondition for the self-realisation of women and girls. We believe that quality education is crucial to ensure equal job opportunities, equal access and equal pay for work of equal value, and competitive advantage for women in the global economy.
This starts with access to education but goes far beyond to include the content of education, which must challenge gender stereotypes through curricula, pedagogy, teaching methods and teaching materials. Through education, women and girls can have improved access to career development, financial independence and autonomy, as well as to full participation in the social and political life of their societies.
A great majority of the 32.5 million educators we represent are women. We work to ensure that women in education have the opportunities and support to lead throughout the sector, within their schools, educational institutions and their unions.
Our Gender Equality Action Plan highlights three main priorities:
- Promoting women’s leadership and participation within education unions;
- Taking action to increase intersectional gender equality in and through education;
- Promoting and securing women’s economic empowerment.
Our work on gender equality is advanced through a number of global structures and regional networks:
- The Education International Status of Women Committee comprising all female members of our Executive Board;
- Regional and Sub-Regional Women’s Networks;
- A quadrennial Women’s Caucus, ahead of each Education International Congress (EI’s highest decision-making body);
- Triennial EI World Women’s Conferences.
