Changing Norms about Gender Inequality in Education : Evidence from Bangladesh
Using a recent household survey for two cohorts of married women, this paper examines norms about gender equality in education for children and adults. Among the main findings are that gender education gap norms have changed: younger generations o...
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| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2012
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2007/11/8706199/changing-norms-gender-inequality-education-evidence-bangladesh http://hdl.handle.net/10986/7594 |
| Summary: | Using a recent household survey for two
cohorts of married women, this paper examines norms about
gender equality in education for children and adults. Among
the main findings are that gender education gap norms have
changed: younger generations of women are more positive
about female vs. male education, both as pertaining to child
and adult education outcomes. Perhaps the strongest result
is that Bangladeshi women are more likely to espouse
attitudes of gender equality in education for their children
and less so about gender equality among spouses. It is also
easier to explain norms regarding children's education
and more difficult to explain norms about equality in
marriages. The authors believe that question on relative
education of boys and girls captures the value of education
per se, while the question on educational equality in
marriage captures the norms regarding marriage and the
relative worth of husbands and wives. The effect of
education in determining norms is significant though
complex, and spans own and spousal education, as well as
that of older females in the household. This indicates
sharing of education norms effects or externalities arising
from spousal education in the production of gender education
gap norms within marriage as well as arising from the
presence of older educated females in the household.
Lastly, the authors also find associations between gender
education gap norms and household poverty, information
processing and religion, though the evidence here is more mixed. |
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