Gender inequality is a shadow crisis whose effects on all children we must collectively work to counteract, especially on the most marginalized, regardless of gender. Education is a critical pathway and enabler of gender equality, and cross-sectoral collaboration is essential to ensuring all girls and women have access to quality education.

Education is also the bedrock of sustainable development and growth. Regardless of gender, every child and adolescent deserves an equal opportunity and a safe space to learn and to thrive.

Rise and rollback of gender equality gains in education

In the past decades, more and more girls have attended and completed school, and fewer have gotten married or become mothers while still children themselves. But in the face of domestic instability as well as multiple global crises threatening worldwide security and economic prosperity, women and girls face an increasing rollback in their rights, including to education.

Rising gender-based violence, child marriage, prevailing social norms and cuts to both official development assistance and domestic budgets for education all exclude millions of girls and women from building the skills and knowledge they need to meaningfully participate in their communities and economies.

The COVID-19 pandemic also eroded gains in gender equality as pre-pandemic challenges to achieve gender equality in and through education remain and continue to worsen. Globally, nearly 1 in 4 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are neither employed nor in education or training, compared to 1 in 10 boys (UNICEF).

Girls are also disproportionately impacted by pandemic-related learning losses and climate change owing to their social roles and discrimination, and especially those in rural areas who represent 70% of the agricultural workforce in some countries (UNSR 2022).

Women Deliver 2023

As women and girls continue to fight back and refuse to keep silent, the upcoming Women Deliver (WD) conference in Kigali, Rwanda is a pivotal moment to keep a global spotlight on gender equality and foster cross-sector collaboration within the education sector.

The conference is a key opportunity to position education as a vital enabler of gender equality, and as a pathway to tackle the multifaceted challenges that perpetuate gender disparities as well as drive progress towards gender equality.

The conference will bring together leaders, advocates and activists from around the world to discuss and share ideas on how to improve the lives of women and girls, featuring high level concurrent sessions and side events.

An Education Zone, co-organized by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and Echidna Giving will also showcase a variety of gender equality in education-related topics and will be a space for education actors to shine a spotlight on their work, including unrepresented voices and issues.

GPE kicked off its engagement at WD with a Raise Your Hand! Live talk show episode on the theme ‘Igniting Collaboration for Gender Equality.”

The episode, moderated by GPE Youth Leader Asimawu Tahiru, brought together Dr. Maliha Khan, President and CEO of Women Deliver, and Alicia Herbert OBE, Special Envoy for Gender Equality, FCDO, to explore critical challenges hindering progress and to discuss how collaboration can drive transformative change.

Shattering silos

A key challenge to achieving gender equality in education is the siloed approach to education issues resulting in duplication of efforts and inefficient work.

Cross-sectoral collaboration is essential to ensuring that girls and women have access to the resources and support they need to succeed in school and beyond. That’s why GPE will convene for the first ever ministerial learning exchange bringing together Ministers of Education and Gender.

Working across different sectors can help to address the complex and interconnected challenges that hinder progress towards gender equality such as poverty, discrimination, violence and lack of access to resources and opportunities.

For example, health interventions providing menstrual hygiene products and sexual and reproductive health services help keep girls in school longer and prevent transactional sex and early pregnancy.

Financial support, such as scholarships and cash transfers, helps families afford the cost of education. Social welfare programs, such as childcare and parental leave, help parents balance work and family responsibilities, allowing them to support their children's education.

Cross-sectoral collaboration can also help to leverage resources and expertise from different sectors and to promote innovation and learning. For example, GPE’s Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX) action research projects support the provision of tech-enabled learning for refugees and displaced children in Chad and Sudan.

WD23 – Education Zone

The Education Zone at the Women Deliver conference will showcase the importance of intergenerational cross-sectoral collaboration in advancing gender equality in education, featuring nonprofit organizations and actors to underscore the importance of community-led solutions.

The zone will also ensure that the voices of young people are heard and that their work is recognized, including through a crowd-sourced Open Letter to world leaders to keep gender equality in education a top political and implementation priority.

The Education Zone at the Women Deliver conference is an opportunity to contribute to a global movement for gender equality.

Let us work together to ensure that every girl and woman reaches her full potential!