ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how gender disparities in education vary across different socio-cultural, economic, and institutional settings, and reflect on their long-term implications for women’s access to decent work and achieving overall economic growth. Over the last few decades, there has been a remarkable progress in school enrolment of boys and girls, and the gender gap in education participation has diminished. Son-bias is a practice where parents value their sons over their daughters over certain dimensions, and thus make different choices for investments in children on the basis of these preferences. Marital customs are an important determinant of parental education decisions that are not always considered in policies to address gender inequality. The relationship between gender equality in education on growth can evolve over time as the economy grows. From the perspective of sustainable development goals to promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, there is a scope for the promotion of gender equality in education.
