Engendering Education: Why Do Girls Drop Out in Developing Countries?

Girls do better in the classroom than boys in the developed world. But in developing countries, girls lag behind boys, according to the latest research.

Boys and girls enroll in elementary school at the same rate in developing countries. But many more girls drop out along the way than boys.

Too few girls in poor countries go to secondary school and even fewer reach university. Of all girls who enroll in primary school, only 10% reach university.

Why this discrepancy? Both sexes are equally intelligent and capable.

Teachers Discriminate Against Girls

In developing countries teachers are mostly male. They perceive girls as less intelligent. They give boys more attention. Boys have more opportunity to talk and participate. Girls are expected to be obedient—to be quiet and sit at the back of the classroom.

In some countries, girls are even given janitorial work while in school, while boys play and study.

Ways to Overcome Discrimination

1. Hiring more female teachers would help overcome this bias, says Mercy Tembon, the World Bank's lead education specialist in gender equity. This would also encourage more parents to send their girls to school.

For example, the Gambia relaxed requirements for women to qualify as teachers to increase the number of female teachers. But these female teachers trainees did extra studying to get up to the level of their male counterparts.

2. Train teachers to become aware of gender issues.

Guinea sensitizes teachers about gender to make them aware of "issues that girls face, culturally and in the classroom," says Tembon.

Guinean textbooks were also re-written to remove all gender stereotypes. "Textbooks portrayed women as only cleaning and cooking while men were shown professionals, like engineers or doctors," adds Tembon.

While Guinea is a poor African country, girls' education has steadily grown over the last decade.

3. Burkina Faso set up special tutoring programs for girls to help them improve their grades.

Poverty Impedes Girls' Education

But more often than not, it's poverty that prevents girls from getting an education.

"It's kind of a catch-22 situation. You have to educate the people to reduce poverty and you need to reduce poverty to educate the people," concludes Tembon.

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