The intersection of gender equality and quality education in four Mediterranean countries: a regional situation analysis of the nexus between SDG4 and SDG5 in Cyprus, Greece, Malta, and Turkey

While SDG 4 may be the central focus for ensuring that all children access high-quality, inclusive education, the Goal and its Targets cannot be achieved without integrated approaches that address persistent forms and sources of exclusion. This report conceptualizes the multifaceted system of interlinkages between gender and education as the nexus between SDGs 4 and 5 and analyzes progress toward and persistent challenges to gender equality in and through education in four Mediterranean countries: Cyprus, Greece, Malta, and Turkey. The report examines multiple issues at the intersection of these two issues of education and gender equality including gender parity in participation, learning quality, and policies that impact the primarily female teaching force - as well as education’s role in addressing other issues at this intersection, including social norms, gender-based violence, early and unintended pregnancy, and child marriage.