Feminism is the belief in social, economic, and political equality of the sexes.

Although largely
originating in the West part of the world, feminism is manifested worldwide and is represented
by various institutions committed to activity on behalf of women's rights and interests. However,
this academic writing aims to discuss the education implication of feminism within the Zambian
context.

The feminist movement has not only brought about positive impacts to women in Zambia but
also negative ones. It has also created confusion, debate on sexism and provide solution to
confusions regarding the permissible of gender. Feminist sociologists have large area of
agreement with functionalists and Marxists in education system as they see education as
transmitting a particular set of norms and values into the pupils. However, instead of seeing these
as either a neutral value consensus or the values of the ruling class and capitalism, feminists see
the education system as transmitting patriarchal values.

Heaton and Lawson (1996) argued that the hidden curriculum taught patriarchal values in
schools, Lawson further explain that hidden curriculum usually practises gender division as long
time ago girls were not allowed to play football and do same athletics boys pupils in school.
Feminist also noted that traditional family structures surrounding the school or culture outline
textbooks or rules that patriarchal gender stereotypes, patriarchal subjects aimed towards specific
genders, these lead gender divisions in some school subject such as physical education (PE)
same to sport.

On another hand, feminism aims to support girls by balancing sex gender in Zambia. The gender
division of labour in schools predominantly female teachers and male managers. The Republic of
Zambia recognises the need to tackle the issues affecting the education of girls within a broader
context, so as to provide quality education to all school-aged children. To this end the
government, in collaboration with various partners, started the Programme for the Advancement
of Girls Education (PAGE) in 1997. Through this programme, specific actions have been
developed to support successful strategies for increasing access, retention, and enhancing
achievements, especially in mathematics and science for girls. (ZARD 1996).

In 1997, the Ministry of Education introduced the re-entry policy that allowed girls who fell
pregnant to return to school after delivery. This was followed up with the 50-50 enrolment
policy. The Strategic Plan embraced the equity programme, which specifically addressed gender

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issues within the ministry (Ministry of Education, 2003). The National Gender Policy supported
these efforts.

Liberal feminists point out the issues of patriarchy in education and also acknowledging
significant strides towards equality in the education system. In the 1940s and 50s, under the
tripartite system, boys had a lower pass rate than girls essentially institutionally failing girls in
order to ensure more boys can succeed and some subjects were not given to girls especially
mathematics, wood and metalwork, technology studies and science, but home economics and
management, fabric and craft were the subject given to girl children in schools because were
undeleted that they can manage due to the logic and critical thinking needed in mathematics and
science. However, Michelle Stanworth (1983), for instance, noted that long time there were
higher expectations of boys and teachers would be more likely to recommend boys to apply for
higher education than girls at the same academic level.

Wilson, S. (2014), today due to feminist and other organisation interested in sexism by
promoting woman argued strongly to make some subjects become optional, and give every
learner the change to learn any subject as the ministry of education states in the education act
education for all and equity. These make quite clear gender preferences for one subject or
another, but all subjects are open to all pupils. Perhaps the biggest change proven in Zambia is
that girls of now outperform boys in education so if the system is a patriarchal one, designed to
favour boys, then it is singularly failing, (education statistics 2000).

Radical feminists argue that the education system is still fundamentally patriarchal and continues
to marginalise and oppress women. It does this through some of the processes already noted
reinforcing patriarchal ideology through the formal and hidden curriculum and normalising the
marginalisation and oppression of women so that by the time girls leave school they see it as
normal and natural rather than as patriarchal oppression. Radical feminist research has also
looked at sexual harassment in education and how it is not treated as seriously as other forms of
bullying (e.g. Kat Banyard, 2011).

Furthermore, Bressey, C. (2010), Feminists point out how not all girls have the same experience
in education and that minority-ethnic girls are often victims of specific stereotyping and
assumptions. For example, teachers might assume that Muslim girls have different aspirations in
relation to career and family from their peers.

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Feminists acknowledge that there has been a great deal of improvement for girls in education,
they would point to feminism itself as being one of the main reasons for this. Sue Sharpe (1996)
found that schoolgirls in the 1970s had completely different priorities and aspirations from
similar girls in 1996. She found that while in the 1970s girls’ priorities were marriage and
family, in the 1990s this had switched dramatically to career. While there are a number of
potential reasons for this, legislative changes such as the 1970 Equal Pay Act and the 1976 Sex
Discrimination Act are likely to have played their part, hence supporting a liberal feminist
perspective).

Feminists Arnot, M., & Gubb, J. (2001) agreed that the education system does work as an agent
of secondary socialisation which teaches, girls and boys are seen as universal norms and values
and gender scripts that are actually those of contemporary patriarchy and that girls and boys
learning these values prevents social change and challenges to patriarchy.

According to feminists Mac an Ghaill, M. (2006) in the Zambia there are two features of
contemporary education, feminist views on education often point out education as an
increasingly female-dominated sector for example most teachers are women, an increasing
number of managers who are women because they are drawn from the available teachers and the
education system is increasingly resulting in female success and male underperformance. If this
is a system designed to ensure men are in the top positions in society and women are
marginalised into a domestic role, then it would appear to be failing.

According to the analysis of the Ministry of Education (2003). The education system is sending
more and more girls into higher education However, there is clearly truth in these criticisms, it is
still clear that there is a glass ceiling or uplifting women and a gender pay gap by the education
system to be creating lots of highly-qualified girls, they are still losing out to their male peers
when it comes to top jobs and higher incomes. Because of these girls are also taking time off for
child-rearing, work part time to carry out the majority of housework tasks.

To sum up Feminists point out that the education system largely normalises sex gender
discrimination alongside other agents of socialisation such as the family and the media and so
even highly-qualified women often accept this as inevitable or normal. At the same time men are
socialised to also consider this normal. it is important for feminist both women and men, to
continue to affirm this and to ascribe to solidarity politics.

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Wilson, S. (2014). Feminist & women’s movement Building in Southern Africa: Election
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ZARD (1996). Zambia Today: A Gender Perspective. Lusaka: ZARD, March, 19.

Ministry of Education, Science and Vocational Training (2016). 2016 Educational Statistical
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Ministry of Gender and Development (2014). National Gender Policy 2014. Lusaka: MGD.

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