Gender, age cohort, and household investment in child schooling: New evidence from sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Sub-Saharan Africa continues to post one of the highest gender gaps in educational outcomes in the world. Gender gaps in educational outcomes might be attributed to an uneven allocation of household resources towards the schooling of boys and girls. In this paper, we interrogate this issue using individual-level data from Ghana. Methodologically, the paper explores two potential sources of gender bias: bias in the decision to enrol/keep boys and girls in school; and bias in the educational expenditure on boys and girls enrolled in school.