This book analyzes policies in eight European countries that aim to intervene in the reproduction of social and educational inequalities. In order to understand why some policies succeed and others fail, it is necessary to look at education systems through cross-national comparison.

Gender equality has been on the agenda of national policies of higher education within and outside the European Union (EU) for the last twenty years. In some European countries, this process was initiated early on and has brought about remarkable results, while in others progress has been slower. Different countries and institutions have focussed on different strategies for raising awareness about the discrimination of women and for increasing the number of women in aca- mia, particularly in leadership positions. Previous research on gender equality in higher education has produced many case studies about programmes at institutions of higher education in Europe and elsewhere. Different actors like the European Commission and - tional organisations have also furnished reports about national policies. Building on this material, it is now time to analyse under what conditions equality p- grammes are successful. For a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of and barriers to gender equality in higher education, we also need studies that focus on the development of gender equality policies in different countries, as well as on conditions of implementation, change of strategy, and the evaluation of - sults. Comparative studies would be another useful tool for understanding the development and success of gender equality programmes.

Educational institutions should offer a safe and secure environment for young people. Part of that should be educational equity, which is a measure of achievement, fairness, and opportunity in education. This publication analyses and discusses educational equality from different angles. All contributions reflect on the current situation of 11 European countries. All of them are part of the Bologna process and are dealing with the challenges of the development of a European Higher Education Area. This ongoing process is reflected in the present publication, with a specific focus on equality in education. The authors cover aspects like inclusion and inequality, internationalizing education, and accessing education, but they also deal with learning foreign languages, education for the future, assessment, feedback and student success, lifelong learning, teacher training as well as different aspects of the LGB(T+) community and gender and education.