Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Illuminating the Status of Mayan Girls in Guatemala
Guatemala’s population is among the poorest, least educated, youngest,
and fastest growing in Latin America. Indigenous (Mayan) girls are among the
most disadvantaged, vulnerable members of the population. The Population
Council has conducted research to better understand the status of Mayan
girls. The results of these studies have been used to design programs to
improve Mayan girls’ lives and health and to address the educational
inequities they face.
Schooling
Poverty and School Dropout in Pakistan
What elements of
schooling and home environments in rural Pakistan have the greatest
influence on whether girls and boys start and remain in school? Is there a
link between investments in children’s schooling and a mother’s reproductive
behavior? Recent Population Council research provides unique longitudinal
data that give insights into these questions. The analysis is based on two
waves of panel data, collected in rural Punjab and North West Frontier
Province in December 1997 and January 2004. A noteworthy feature of the
study is the availability of data on the arrival of “unwanted” births
between the two surveys—a shock to the household whose effects have rarely
been investigated.
Transitions to Adulthood
Ishraq Expands Horizons for Girls in Rural Upper
Egypt
The transition from
childhood to adulthood is often considered a time of growth in
opportunities, self-awareness, and knowledge about the world. For girls in
rural Egypt, however, these changes often do not occur. As girls reach
adolescence, their lives becomes increasingly confined to the home, their
opportunities limited to household chores, and their future prospects
restricted to early marriage and childbearing. A comprehensive program in
rural Upper Egypt, known as Ishraq (“enlightenment”), has succeeded in
expanding the horizons of adolescent girls, increasing their knowledge and
self-confidence and promoting their civic engagement.
Education
Schooling Trends in Africa: New Assessment Methods Needed
At least 37 million young people aged 10–14 in
sub-Saharan Africa will not complete primary school, according to a recent
analysis conducted by Population Council demographers Cynthia B. Lloyd and
Paul C. Hewett. Moreover, nearly 21 million children in this age range in
sub-Saharan Africa have never attended school. In April 2000, at the World
Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal, sub-Saharan African governments, along
with others from around the world, recommitted themselves to achieving
“Education for All” by 2015. The Population Council assessment suggests
that meeting this target will be difficult. Much needed are an
international commitment to a greater level of resources, better tools for
monitoring educational progress at the country level, and a focus on
reaching the poorest families.
Éducation et Sexe
Les inégalités liées au sexe à l’école découragent les jeunes Kényanes
Les chercheurs ont plusieurs fois montré
que généralement, plus la scolarité d’une fille sera longue, plus tardif
sera son mariage et plus âgée sera-t-elle lorsqu’elle aura son premier
enfant. Pour ces raisons, ainsi que beaucoup d’autres, les gouvernements
voudraient faire tout leur possible pour veiller à ce que les filles
restent à l’école le plus longtemps. Dans un effort visant à déterminer
quels facteurs pourraient pousser les filles à abandonner les classes au
Kenya, des chercheurs du Population Council ont documenté des inégalités
basées sur le sexe dans les écoles primaires de trois districts
constituant la palette de la qualité des écoles du pays. Maintenant, les
chercheurs Cynthia B. Lloyd, Barbara S. Mensch et Wesley H. Clark ont
analysé et quantifié les effets de ces distorsions sur la probabilité
qu’un enfant puisse quitter l’école primaire dans ces districts.
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