Sociology

Educating girls in the third world: The demographic, basic needs, and economic benefits

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Building on the widespread recent suggestion that the education of girls may well be one of the best investments that a less-developed country can make, this study presents the results of a series of quantitative, cross-national, panel regression analyses designed to assess the effects of a) level of girls' education (primary and secondary enrollment rates), and b) gender inequality in education (male-female enrollment ratios), on a wide range of demographic, social and economic development outcomes. Both the education of girls in and of itself, and the provision of equal access to education for boys and girls (i.e., gender equality in education) were found to have the following subsequent benefits for societies: lower crude birth rates, longer life expectancies, lower death rates of all sorts, improved basic needs provision, and more rapid rates of economic growth.

Publication Title

International Journal of Comparative Sociology

Publication Date

1-1996

Volume

37

Issue

1-2

First Page

29

Last Page

46

ISSN

0020-7152

DOI

10.1177/002071529603700103

Keywords

life expectancy, lifespan, neonatal infant

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