Abstract
This paper examines school enrollment and educational attainment in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo and second-largest city in sub-Saharan Africa. We focus on the impact of poverty, household structure, and economic well-being more generally on investments in children's education and differences by gender in such investments. These issues are addressed using data from a 1990 survey that provided information on the enrollment status and educational attainment of more than 8500 youths aged 6–25. We find that increased economic well-being translates into greater investments in children's education for both females and males. However, improved economic status does not necessarily result in reduced gender differences in school outcomes. In addition, family structure (as measured by the number of children in the household in different age groups) and a child's relationship to the head of the household are also found to be significant influences on investments in children's education.
Published Version
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