Here in the rural areas they don't say that men and women are equal! Contesting gender inequalities in the early years

In KwaZulu-Natal, the setting for this study, rural areas are often economically disadvantaged and underscored by pervasive forms of gender inequalities, sexual coercion and cultural patterns of masculine power. Younger children in the early years, often invisible in research around rurality and gender, forge gender patterns that often recreate patriarchal relations of power. This Focus argues the importance of examining and addressing gender in the early years of rural schooling. Drawing on interviews with teachers, the entanglement of culture, materiality and unequal gender relations which produce gender-subordinated environments are described. Despite structural and cultural strictures, it is shown how teachers can and do work towards gender equality through the deployment of ubuntu. In the context of the early-childhood classroom in rural KwaZulu-Natal, small changes are being made by teachers who resist and challenge dominant cultural patterns that attempt to put young girls in their place. Implications for working against gender inequalities in the early years of rural schooling are suggested in the conclusion.