Mothers and their daughters' education: a comparison of global and local aspirations

Through a comparative analysis of policy texts from UN organisations and scholarly work since the 1990s this paper examines how mothers are portrayed in simplistic terms, as educated thus beneficial for their daughters' schooling, or deprived of education causing detriment to their daughters' future prospects. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with mothers from rural Pakistan, these global comparisons are brought into conversation with local narratives showing how mothers' aspirations facilitate daughters' educational opportunities. It is argued that mothers' subjectivities have a potential to inform global policy discourses for investigating the aspirational and transformational potential of mothers in contexts of material and social constraint. The paper proposes an informed approach to educational research and policy making which seeks to understand the processes surrounding mothers' support for their daughters' education.

Automated summary

This paper explores the portrayal of mothers as either educated and beneficial for their daughters' education or lacking education and detrimental to their daughters' future prospects, through a comparative analysis of policy texts and scholarly work. The findings are then supplemented with semi-structured interviews with rural Pakistani mothers, highlighting how mothers' aspirations contribute to their daughters' educational opportunities. The paper argues that understanding mothers' perspectives is crucial in informing global policy discourses and investigating the potential of mothers in contexts of material and social constraint.