Reconsidering the Economics of “Reversal”: Toward Human Development for All

This final chapter reexamines the central question of whether the observed gender disparity in education in the Philippines—where boys now appear more disadvantaged than girls—truly constitutes a reversal. Drawing on empirical findings from preceding chapters, the discussion is organized into three interrelated themes: poverty, family dynamics, and school environments. These perspectives reveal that boys’ educational disengagement cannot be understood independently of broader social, economic, and institutional structures embedded in local contexts. While girls may outperform boys on certain educational indicators, the underlying labor market and family systems often continue to disadvantage women, suggesting that gendered inequalities are not simply reversed but transformed in complex ways, unfolding intertemporally and across post-school domains. The chapter also reflects on the interdisciplinary approach adopted in this book, combining development economics, educational studies, and area studies. This integrative stance aims to bridge gaps between empirical rigor and contextual sensitivity, offering a model for how localized inquiry can inform broader theoretical and policy debates. The term “reversal” is thus used not to denote a complete inversion of inequality, but to interrogate surface-level shifts that may obscure deeper, enduring asymmetries. In doing so, the book encourages readers to reconsider gender inequality as a dynamic phenomenon shaped by intersecting cultural, institutional, and economic forces.