11.02.2025 advocacy, Gender Equality Task Force

Advancing Gender Equality in Lifelong Learning: Insights from the Gender Equality Task Force Kick-off Meeting

At the beginning of February, the Gender Equality Task Force for Lifelong Learning organised an online kick-off for its 2025 activities. The webinar was an opportunity for the members of the Task Force, including policy advisors, institutional directors, project officers, and public authorities, to discuss the initiative’s upcoming activities. 17 participants attended the meeting.

Capacity Building in Adult Education and Gender Equality

The Gender Equality Task Force (GE TF), which includes representatives from EARLLAL, EAEA, and EfVET, outlined its ongoing initiatives to promote gender equality in lifelong learning. Alicia Gaban introduced EARLLAL’s network and its commitment to the cause, while Marina Sakač Hadžić presented EAEA’s paper on Capacity-Building in Adult Education for Gender Equality (2024). The paper explores the intersection of adult education and gender equality, drawing inspiration from the Gender Equality Task Force’s work. She addressed the challenges posed by digital spaces and the emergence of “manosphere” that creates unsafe environments for women and gender non-conforming individuals. The background paper outlines six key recommendations for capacity-building including the development of gender-sensitive curricula and the creation of inclusive learning environments.

Screenshot of the presentation of EAEA's background paper: Capacity-building in ALE institutions for gender equality. It contains the cover page of the paper, and an excerpt of the text: Adult education and learning should empower individuals and communities. By building literacy and critical thinking skills, we can understand our biases, perspectives and living contexts. The roots of these assertions come from theoretical thinkers such as Paulo Freire, bell Hooks, and Malcolm Knowles.

Upcoming initiatives 

After consultation with the Task Force members, the following priorities were identified: 

  • Strengthening gender equality in digital spaces.
  • Developing capacity-building initiatives in ALE.
  • Addressing gender disparities in TVET and AI.
  • Tackling violence in educational spaces, including cyberbullying.
  • Empowering migrant women through education and advocacy.

Interested in getting involved in the Gender Equality Task Force in Lifelong Learning more? Contact gendertforce [at] gmail.com or our Communication and Capacity-Building Officer Marina Sakač Hadžić at marina.sakac [at] eaea.org

Text: Marina Sakač Hadžić

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