What Is Driving Gender Equality in Secondary Education? Evidence from 57 Developing Countries, 1970–2010

Despite global efforts to expand educational opportunities for women, gender inequalities persist in many developing countries. Addressing the root causes of gender inequalities in secondary education we ask whether such disparities persist because of low state capacity or low willingness. Based on...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Gudrun Østby, Henrik Urdal, Ida Rudolfsen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Hindawi Limited 2016-01-01
Series:Education Research International
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/4587194
Description
Summary:Despite global efforts to expand educational opportunities for women, gender inequalities persist in many developing countries. Addressing the root causes of gender inequalities in secondary education we ask whether such disparities persist because of low state capacity or low willingness. Based on gender- and age-specific educational attainment data for 57 developing countries in 1970–2010, our analysis indicates that willingness factors are central to understanding gender equality in education: ethnically heterogeneous countries and countries where Islam is the primary religion experience lower levels of equality. However, key capacity factors like a country’s income level are unrelated to gender differences in education.
ISSN:2090-4002
2090-4010