Exploring Gender Mainstreaming in Primary Education: A Cambodian Context

Gender and education has become a popular component to mainstream development discourse over the past decade. In such a short span of time, the focus, aims, implementation, and monitoring processes have shifted quickly. Drawing on fieldwork carried out in Cambodia from May-August 2016, this thesis provides an exploration of gender mainstreaming in the context of primary education. The aim of the research was to understand, through stakeholder perception, to what extent does Cambodian primary education policy address gender issues? Guided by gender & feminist theory, the research was an attempt to conceptualize the sometimes broad and vague definitions of gender mainstreaming, on a practical level, in an uncommonly explored context. By critically examining the nature and dynamics of the policy, I have developed considerations for theoretical and practical implementations for gender, education, and development.