Closing the Gender Gap
Section A
The benefits of educating girls are enormous. By empowering women within their families and communities, education enables women to contribute more fully to the social and economic development of their societies. A girl's education is also an investment in future generations; the more educated a mother is, the more likely are her children to be educated.
Section B
The educational level achieved by women has the most powerful influence on family size. The impact of education on family size is strongest and most consistent for women who have completed some secondary education. Educating girls is three times more likely than educating boys to lower family size. Education appears to affect family size in many ways. More educated women not only want fewer children than less educated ones, they are also more likely to marry and have children later, contributing to smaller family size.
Section C
Unfortunately, in many low-income countries, investment in education has not kept up with the rapidly increasing school-age population. Many developing countries cut social spending during the 1980s, putting more responsibility on families for financing education. Direct costs such as school fees, transportation, uniforms and books make it more difficult for poor families to educate all their children and parents in many countries give priority to sons.
Section D
Parents may see limited economic benefits in educating daughters. In many countries, girls are more likely than their brothers to be kept home to perform household chores, including caring for younger children. For these and other reasons, including early marriage and pregnancy, dropout rates for girls also tend to be higher than those for boys. In some cultures, parents are reluctant to allow their daughters to travel long distances to school, to be taught by male teachers and to enrol in schools without separate activities for girls.
Section E
Efforts to increase female enrolment levels must recognise the complex factors limiting educational opportunities for girls, as well as their continued enrolment once within the school system. Building more schools is often important to expand educational opportunities for girls. But especially in poor countries, more efficient use of existing resources for education could make possible the enrolment of more girls.
Section F
Hiring more female teachers and providing separate facilities for girls can help to overcome cultural barriers. In some countries, financial assistance such as scholarships for girls has also proved successful in encouraging parents to keep their daughters in school. Flexible school schedules can help to accommodate girls who have to work at home.
Section G
Providing access to good quality family planning services remains the most effective way to lower population growth rates in developing countries. Average family size and child death rates are lowest, however, in countries that combine strong family planning and health programmes with high levels of education for women.