Access to Gender-Sensitive Higher Education in Eastern and Central Europe: Reflections on the CEPES Project "Good Practice in Promoting Gender Equality in Higher Education"

Overview & Synopsis

Summarizing the incomplete results of the United Nations Educational and Scientific Organization (UNESCO) program "Good Practice in Promoting Gender Equality in Higher Education," the author asks that any assessment of the progress made in the area of gender-sensitive education take regional specificities into account. The regional environment is at best neutral and is usually hostile to feminism in subtle ways. Despite the lack of tradition and experience in gender-sensitive social institutions, valuable things have been happening in the Central and East European region. Placed within their socioeconomic and political contexts (and not necessarily judged according to Western standards) individuals, programs, and institutions are pioneering in the field. Access to the benefits of an education incorporating a coherent gender dimension is currently limited. This article outlines some reasons for this situation.