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Educational Gender Inequality in Sub‐Saharan Africa: A Long‐Term Perspective

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Summary

This article examines the educational gender inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa throughout the 20th century. It finds that boys disproportionately benefitted from educational opportunities. The article also finds that educational gender gaps initially rose until the mid-20th century before levelling off or declining. The study also shows that better connected areas on the coast, with early access to railroads, and those harboring urban locations achieved greater gender equality in schooling than more remote locations. It also finds that districts with a strong presence of missionaries were associated with lower gender gaps in education, even long after missions schools lost their monopoly in British Africa in the late colonial period. The article concludes that increased openness has benefitted African girls’ education throughout the 20th century and that closer integration of marginalized regions in national and regional economies will likely contribute to more gender equality in educational attainment.

Q&As

What is the average educational attainment in sub-Saharan Africa?
The average educational attainment in sub-Saharan Africa is 5.7 years of schooling in 2010.

What are the main causes of gender inequality in education in sub-Saharan Africa?
The main causes of gender inequality in education in sub-Saharan Africa are male absenteeism due to cattle herding and male labor migration for mining activities, as well as lack of access to transportation and missionary schools.

How did the gender gap in education change over the 20th century?
The gender gap in education increased in the early 20th century, peaking between 1.5 and 2.5 years of schooling, before declining at 4-5 years of male education.

What is meant by the ‘educational gender Kuznets curve’?
The ‘educational gender Kuznets curve’ is an inverted-U trajectory which expresses the gender gap in relation to the number of years of education received by boys.

What factors influence gender gaps in education at a sub-national level in sub-Saharan Africa?
Factors that influence gender gaps in education at a sub-national level in sub-Saharan Africa include better connected areas on the coast, with early access to railroads, and those harboring urban locations, as well as early colonial missionary presence.

AI Comments

👍 This article provides an in-depth analysis on educational gender inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa, explaining the drivers behind the inequality and the necessary steps to close the gap.

👎 The article fails to provide concrete solutions to help close the educational gender gap in Sub-Saharan Africa.

AI Discussion

Me: It's about educational gender inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa. It discusses the gender disparities in education in the region, looking at it from a long-term perspective. It also explores the correlation between educational gender gaps and access to transportation, missionary presence and urban locations.

Friend: Wow, that's really interesting. What are the implications of this article?

Me: It suggests that the gender inequality in education in Sub-Saharan Africa is largely a result of overall slow educational progress in the region. It also suggests that increased access to transportation and missionary presence can help reduce educational gender gaps. Additionally, it implies that urban locations may also help to reduce gender disparities in education.

Action items

Research and analyze the correlation between missionary presence and educational gender gaps in other regions of the world.
Investigate the impact of increased openness on African girls’ education.
Develop policies that target gender discrimination and promote gender equality in educational attainment in sub-Saharan Africa.

Technical terms

Sub-Saharan Africa: The region of Africa south of the Sahara Desert.
Gender Gap: The difference in outcomes between men and women in a given area.
Educational Gender Kuznets Curve: A graph that shows the relationship between gender gaps in education and overall educational expansion.
IPUMS-curated Census Data: Data from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series, which is a collection of census data from around the world.
Least Squares Dummy Variable (LSDV) Estimator: A statistical technique used to estimate the parameters of a model.
Cash Crops: Crops grown for sale rather than for personal use.
Agricultural Systems: The methods and techniques used to grow crops.
Family Systems: The structure and dynamics of a family.