Education for Women and Girls

Of the many conversations regarding education inequality, women and female education is a branch within the tree. In a comparison of three ethnographies discussing the female perspective in education, there comes to light the differences between pursuing education across cultures, races, nationalities, and ages. 

 

Fida Adely’s Gendered Paradoxes: Educating Jordanian Women in Nation, Faith, and Progress; Claudia Cervantes-Soon’s Juarez Girls Rising: Transformative Education in Times of Dystopia; and Aimee Cox’s Shapeshifters: Black Girls and the Choreography of Citizenship are all books discussing the lives of women and girls in their journeys of education and life through direct participation in their lives.

 

In the first book, Adely explores the lives of Jordanian girls and their experience as Muslim girls pursuing an education. The book introduces the perspectives of different characters as she begins to spend time with the girls in the high school. The book discusses some of the stereotypes associated with education and Muslim women describing the relationship in a way where Islam promotes education and pursuing advanced careers. There is also discussion regarding nationalism in Jordan and its influences on education as well as pride for a school.

 

The second book by Cervantes-Soon is about girls living in Juarez, Mexico. This book explains the impact of the environment in identifying educational opportunities as well as being a woman. In the book, there is discussion regarding social issues directly impacting school in the city as well as the types of students and their lives in pursuing education. There are also mentions about the different abilities from each girl in terms of the educational paths they wish to pursue further.

 

Cox writes her book Shapeshifter with an introduction defining the term shapeshifter as a way of sharing the multifaceted identities of black girls and the genuineness of the novel. The book takes places in Detroit where characters are introduced in the context of education and their lives as women. The book describes each story of each character in a way that is authentically portraying the educational disparity between neighborhoods and how it influences the projection of the lives of these women and girls.

 

These books all share a common thread of portraying educational inequality in different contexts. With each novel focusing on a niche population, there presents the many dimensions of education inequality. Something in common is that these books are representative of a homogenous society. Education inequality persists in this context but can also be emphasized in a heterogeneous society. Looking at American schools and American neighborhoods, there are places that are home to all people of all three of these identities. This is where we can see education inequality in aspects of pursuing higher education, education support internally and externally, and inclusion in an academic setting.

 

Education is not a concept that is limited to any type of person, these ethnographies present information critical in understanding the way education is valued across a variety of people. This is relevant to all societies because education is a valid right despite all external factors.

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