Through qualitative research methods, this book engages in a holistic understanding of cultural, economic, and institutional forces that interact to produce the underrepresentation of women as school teachers in four sub-Saharan African countries. Comparative case studies at the national level, using a common research design, show that teaching, despite being an attractive civil service job, offers low salaries and many challenges, especially when it takes place in rural areas. Combining professional duties with demanding family responsibilities further diminishes women’s ability to stay in the teaching profession. The studies in this book attempt to bridge research findings with policy by developing action plans in cooperation with ministries of education of the respective countries. Women Teachers in Africa will be of interest to academic researchers, undergraduate and postgraduate students in the relevant fields, as well as development professionals, aid agency staff and education policy experts.

Through qualitative research methods, this book engages in a holistic understanding of cultural, economic, and institutional forces that interact to produce the underrepresentation of women as school teachers in four sub-Saharan African countries. Comparative case studies at the national level, using a common research design, show that teaching, despite being an attractive civil service job, offers low salaries and many challenges, especially when it takes place in rural areas. Combining professional duties with demanding family responsibilities further diminishes women’s ability to stay in the teaching profession. The studies in this book attempt to bridge research findings with policy by developing action plans in cooperation with ministries of education of the respective countries. Women Teachers in Africa will be of interest to academic researchers, undergraduate and postgraduate students in the relevant fields, as well as development professionals, aid agency staff and education policy experts.

An exploration of how engaging identity and cultural heritage can transform teaching and learning for Black women educators in the name of justice and freedom in the classroom In The Spirit of Our Work, Dr. Cynthia Dillard centers the spiritual lives of Black women educators and their students, arguing that spirituality has guided Black people throughout the diaspora. She demonstrates how Black women teachers and teacher educators can heal, resist, and (re)member their identities in ways that are empowering for them and their students. Dillard emphasizes that any discussion of Black teachers’ lives and work cannot be limited to truncated identities as enslaved persons in the Americas. The Spirit of Our Work addresses questions that remain largely invisible in what is known about teaching and teacher education. According to Dillard, this invisibility renders the powerful approaches to Black education that are imbodied and marshaled by Black women teachers unknown and largely unavailable to inform policy, practice, and theory in education. The Spirit of Our Work highlights how the intersectional identities of Black women teachers matter in teaching and learning and how educational settings might more carefully and conscientiously curate structures of support that pay explicit and necessary attention to spirituality as a crucial consideration.

Offers both a theoretical and concrete example of what W. E. B. Du Bois called “spiritual strivings.”

This exhaustive exploration of the sociocultural, political, and economic roles of African women through history demonstrates how African women have shaped—and continue to shape—their societies. Women play essential, critical roles in every society; African women south of the Sahara are certainly no different. Women's Roles in Sub-Saharan Africa adds significantly to our understanding of the ways in which women contribute to the fabric of human civilization. This book provides an in-depth exploration of African women's roles in society from precolonial periods to the contemporary era. Topical sections describe the roles that women play in family, courtship and marriage, religion, work, literature and arts, and government. Each of the six chapters has been structured to elucidate women's roles and functions in society as partners, as active participants, as defenders of their status and occupations, and as agents of change. Authors Nana Akua Amponsah and Toyin Falola present a thought-provoking work that looks at the complicated victimhood/powerful-female paradigm in women and gender studies in Africa, and challenge ideological interest in African historiography that privilege male representation.

This book addresses the gender divide in access to higher education and the Ugandan situation. It examines theories of girls' education, human capital, gender inequality and gender-development, bringing views from Africa and its institutions to debates often constructed and conducted in the West. Whilst commending the work of women's movements and NGO's in furthering the educational cause, it criticises fashionable neo-liberal economic/educational policies which are diverting researchers not institutions, thus diminishing local universities and women. The volume also presents the results of a survey of female undergraduates at the University of Makerere, which give rise to discussions about family, societal, and institutional influences on women's access to higher education. This is a welcome book on women in higher education written by an African female academic, insider, and popular and outstanding contributor to the progress of women in higher education in East Africa.

This book provides an analytical exploration of the condition of teachers working in expanding school systems across the world, with a particular focus on the lives of women teachers in rural Sub-Saharan Africa. Drawing from award-winning research, it looks beyond the official portrayals of teachers’ lives in order to better understand the reality of the contexts in which teachers live and work. Positioning Amartya Sen’s capability approach at the heart of the study, each chapter considers documentary evidence alongside ethnographic research from rural, remote and under-resourced schools in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Sudan. Interweaving rich narratives from teachers in a variety of contexts, the book proposes a concept of professional capability and examines female teachers’ agency to pursue and achieve this in their classrooms. This key examination challenges existing notions of ‘quality education’ and reveals insights into the broader purpose of schooling for rural communities. Quality Teaching and the Capability Approach will be of value to researchers, academics and postgraduate students in education, particularly those concerned with gender, development and teaching, as well as educationalists and policy makers concerned with education and development.

For a full list of entries and contributors, sample entries, and more, visit the Routledge International Encyclopedia of Women website. Featuring comprehensive global coverage of women's issues and concerns, from violence and sexuality to feminist theory, the Routledge International Encyclopedia of Women brings the field into the new millennium. In over 900 signed A-Z entries from US and Europe, Asia, the Americas, Oceania, and the Middle East, the women who pioneered the field from its inception collaborate with the new scholars who are shaping the future of women's studies to create the new standard work for anyone who needs information on women-related subjects.