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Gender gaps in the path to adulthood for young females and males in six African countries from the 1990s to the 2010s

Author

Listed:
  • Jane Mariara

    (Partnership for Economics Policy (PEP) and University of Nairobi)

  • Andy McKay

    (University of Sussex)

  • Andy Newell

    (University of Sussex
    IZA)

  • Cinzia Rienzo

    (King’s College)

Abstract

In this paper, we study on a comparative basis the school-to-work transition of young women and young men in six countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and we examine how this has evolved over recent years, based on the data collected by Demographic and Health Surveys. We examine educational attainments and the nature of early jobs young people are able to obtain, as well as considering their relationship to marriage and fertility outcomes, factors which are likely to be particularly relevant for young women. A pooled regression analysis shows that educational levels have increased substantially and gender gaps have narrowed in most countries. Access to better jobs has improved much more slowly with unchanging gender gaps in most countries, so that agriculture is still the dominant sector of employment for most young men and women. We model correlates of key educational outcomes and access to different types of jobs those controlling for individual- and household-level characteristics, including marital status, presence of children and wealth. Attaining a high level of education is unsurprisingly critical for access to the best jobs and is also associated with young women delaying marriage and childbearing.

Suggested Citation

  • Jane Mariara & Andy McKay & Andy Newell & Cinzia Rienzo, 2018. "Gender gaps in the path to adulthood for young females and males in six African countries from the 1990s to the 2010s," IZA Journal of Migration and Development, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 8(1), pages 1-19, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:izamig:v:8:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1186_s40176-018-0124-8
    DOI: 10.1186/s40176-018-0124-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Deon Filmer & Louise Fox, 2014. "Youth Employment in Sub-Saharan Africa [L’emploi des jeunes en Afrique subsaharienne - Rapport complet]," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 16608, April.
    2. O'Higgins, Niall, 2015. "Youth Unemployment," IZA Policy Papers 103, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Cally Ardington & Alicia Menendez & Tinofa Mutevedzi, 2011. "Early childbearing, human capital attainment and mortality risk," SALDRU Working Papers 56, Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town.
    4. Owen Ozier, 2018. "The Impact of Secondary Schooling in Kenya: A Regression Discontinuity Analysis," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 53(1), pages 157-188.
    5. Vimal Ranchhod & David Lam & Murray Leibbrandt & Leticia Marteleto, 2011. "Estimating the effect of adolescent fertility on educational attainment in Cape Town using a propensity score weighted regression," SALDRU Working Papers 59, Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town.
    6. Cally Ardington & Alicia Menendez & Tinofa Mutevedzi, 2015. "Early Childbearing, Human Capital Attainment, and Mortality Risk: Evidence from a Longitudinal Demographic Surveillance Area in Rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 63(2), pages 281-317.
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    Cited by:

    1. Eva‐Maria Egger & Aslihan Arslan & Emanuele Zucchini, 2022. "Does connectivity reduce gender gaps in off‐farm employment? Evidence from 12 low‐ and middle‐income countries," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 44(1), pages 197-218, March.
    2. Frola, Alessia & Delprato, Marcos & Chudgar, Amita, 2024. "Lack of educational access, women's empowerment and spatial education inequality for the Eastern and Western Africa regions," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    First job; Education; School-to-work transition; Sub-Saharan Africa;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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