Africa Gender Inequality

Education plays an integral role in economic and social development. Increasing access to education has been a major goal in the policies of developing countries. This is because these developing countries recognize that if more of the population is educated, health and productivity significantly improves. When both men and women receive the opportunity to attend school, progress happens at a faster rate. Unfortunately, millions of women in developing countries are underrepresented in school enrollment. The consequences of under educating women goes far beyond individual being, it also affects national wellbeing and development. In this paper, I will analyze the current state of women’s education in two regions; Sub Saharan Africa, and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. I will review the extent of the gender gap and its implications. My research will begin by assessing the reasons why there is such a huge disparity in educational attainment in developing countries. The reasons may vary from region to region and even country to country. For instance, if the environment where the educational decisions are made are considered, the costs and benefits of educating women may vary based on gender. Another major reason is poverty, while higher educational attainment amongst …show more content…
On average, UNESCO estimates that three students in Sub Saharan Africa share one mathematics textbook. 88 percent of schools do not have access to electricity and less than 50 percent of schools have access to clean water. In half of the African countries with sufficient data, the class sizes are extremely large with over 50 students per class. For girls in specific, schools without sanitary toilets pose serious health risks that can keep girls away from school for long periods of time. This significantly diminishes the quality of education for students in the