Economic, political and social factors which explain variation in the patterns of gender inequality

Educational opportunity

• in many parts of the world, education tends to favour males

• there have been significant improvements in female enrolment to achieve primary education

• but girls still suffer severe disadvantages and exclusion in education in poorer countries, particularly in rural areas and among the rural poor.

• the obstacle to female secondary school participation are the greatest in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia

Organisations involved

UN:

• they established the Girl’s education initiative, for which UNICEF is the lead agencies

Factors influencing female educational participation in developing countries

• Early forced marriage

• High rates of young pregnancies

• Lack of empowerment in family size

• Gender bias in education

• Sexual violence

• Forced sterilisation or abortion

• Harmful traditional practices

• Sexually transmitted disease including HIV

Access to reproductive health services

• mostly social factors are the cause often related to cultural practices such as FGM which are discriminatory and closely linked to HR

• female reproductive health rights are violated when women are denied access to health care services

• economically and socially disadvantaged girls are less likely to gain access to health services, education etc.

• girls in poor communities face the additional obstacles of early marriage and early child bearing, this continues to reflect the social norms that perpetuate discrimination against women

• in sub-Saharan Africa 12% of females were married before the age 15

Organisations involved in improving access to education

• NGOs such as ICRW, Africa and woman kind are working closely with the communities worst affected

Factors affecting spatial variation

• social norms, including where securing household income through employment is attributed to men and where women are expected to devote time to unpaid domestic care

• cultural beliefs and practices of religious or social groups

• levels of governmental and company support for child care

• gender-based norms that shape the educational and job decisions of women and men