I n terms of sheer numbers, girls in Latin American schools aren't in such bad shape compared to other areas of the world. And yet despite this relative advantage, young women in Latin America continue to be restricted in the life plans they can consider for themselves. When Cecilia, a Central American university student, went to see her professor about her grades, he made it clear that her grade would go up if she would offer certain services. Marta, a teacher in a small town outside of Managua, found herself stuck without extra pay or childcare when she had to attend an intensive two-week workshop to learn about the Education Ministry's new third grade curriculum. Cecilia's and Marta's personal dilemnas are typical of the daily choices affecting women in Latin America today.
Gender continues to be a major issue in education.
Current research about gender and education focuses on educational quality. Economists tend to consider the question of access resolved when girls have equal access to schools, and so current programs focus on indigenous girls, the largest sector which still lacks access to basic education. Indigenous girls are less likely to speak the dominant language, less likely to go to school, less likely to complete basic schooling, and thus, less likely to be literate. But access is only the first step in examining equality of education. At a recent Harvard-sponsored conference on education in Central America, the absence of a space to discuss gender issues was noteworthy, as were the informal comments of various conference members.