Inclusion of gender perspectives in family education: experiences in Cambodia China and Kyrgyzstan.

Gender socialisation starts at birth or even before. The early childhood period is often considered a "gender-politics-free" zone where children are allowed leeway in displaying behaviours and actions outside the social and cultural norms about boy- and girlhood of a given society simply because they are considered too small to understand and follow. However they learn about gender roles and characters from a very early age and are firmly rooted in a gender identity by the time they reach the age of formal schooling. The UNESCO project "ICT-based Training in Basic Education for Social Development" aims to strengthen human resources and build capacity among families women youth and ethnic minorities in promoting sustainable social development using the potential of information and communication technology (ICT). The project has a specific component entitled "Inclusion of Gender Perspectives in Family Education" which aims to generate awareness within families of gender issues related to childrearing and socialisation. (authors)