Peer-reviewed article
Girls' schooling is important but insufficient to promote equality for boys and girls in childhood and across the life course
Chris Desmond, Kathryn Watt, Sara Naomi Naicker, Jere Richard Behrman, Linda Richter ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This peer-reviewed analysis examines whether focusing development assistance solely on girls' schooling is sufficient to promote gender equality. Using a human development framework, the authors compare outcomes for boys and girls across life stages in low- and middle-income countries. They find that while girls outperform boys in school enrolment and completion in most regions, this advantage disappears in adulthood, where women face significant gaps in employment, pay, unpaid care work, and political participation. The authors conclude that quality education for both sexes must be paired with broader efforts to address labour market discrimination and harmful social norms.
Key points
- In most regions, girls are ahead of boys in school enrolment and completion rates
- Girls have better outcomes than boys in several indicators in early childhood
- In adolescence and adulthood, girls and women fall behind boys and men in workforce participation, employment, pay, and political participation
- Gender inequality bias against women is most marked in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa
- Quality education for both boys and girls must be combined with addressing labour market discrimination and social norms that exclude and exploit women
Limitations
The analysis uses publicly available data and focuses on correlational indicators rather than causal mechanisms, so it cannot definitively explain why gender parity reverses after childhood or identify which interventions would be most effective. The document does not present detailed programme evaluations or impact studies of specific interventions to address these gaps.
Abstract
Abstract Motivation Investing in girls' schooling in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs) is seen as central to improving gender equity. It is argued that interventions to promote girls' enrolment are appropriate as girls face gendered barriers to school enrolment and completion and investing in girls' schooling has high economic and human development returns. But is this fair to boys and enough for girls? Purpose We ask how appropriate it is to direct development assistance towards improving girls' school enrolment, compared to prioritizing schooling for both girls and boys, and addressing barriers to gender equality throughout the life course. Methods and approach We frame the enquiry through a human development framework with three distinct but interdependent domains: protection of human development potential; realization of human development potential; and use of human development potential. Using publicly available data, we identify indicators that are likely to be correlated with the degree to which human development potential is protected, realized, and utilized in LMICs. We compare male and female outcomes on each of these indicators to assess gender parity at different life stages. Findings In most regions, girls are ahead of boys in both school enrolment and completion. Girls have better outcomes than boys in several other indicators in early life and childhood. In adolescence and adulthood, girls and women fall behind boys and men. This is especially apparent in workforce participation, in unemployment, in pay, and in share of unpaid care work and political participation, where women have less favourable outcomes than men. The bias against women is most marked in South Asia and sub‐Saharan Africa. Policy implications A focus on girls' schooling should be tempered by ensuring quality pre‐primary, primary, and secondary schooling for both boys and girls. At the same time, we must address causes of gender inequality, including labour market discrimination and social norms that justify the exclusion and exploitation of women and girls.