Economic restructuring has severely affected the education of girls, particularly in the poorest and least developed countries where poverty is the major obstacle to education. Girls still constitute the majority of children not enrolled in school, and illiteracy among women remains one of the biggest challenges for the 21st century. Deep-rooted prejudices that women are subordinate to men permeate educational principles, curricula, methods, and materials. Although females account for more than half of technical and vocational enrollment, they keep choosing "female" fields. Sexist attitudes among teachers and a lack of women teachers and administrators are other obstacles to girls' enrollment and selection of school subjects. In most societies, awareness that females can excel in fields traditionally reserved for males has increased in recent years. Elimination of stereotypes in formal and nonformal education programs has been scattered and haphazard, however. The positive results of skills-based literacy programs for women in 14 countries in Asia and the Pacific demonstrate the potential benefits of gender-sensitive education for women. Enrollment alone does not guarantee girls' retention and achievement. Positive role models, gender-sensitive curricula, and a practical methodology for promoting women's status in society are critical to attracting females into professional/technical fields generally reserved for males. (Contains 56 references.) (MN)