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DOI :10.26650/JEPR1329603   IUP :10.26650/JEPR1329603    Tam Metin (PDF)

Is There an Early Gender Gap in School Readiness Among 3-4-year-old Children? Evidence from Ghana

Jean Louis BagoMoussa OuédraogoMarie Madeleine Ouoba

Gender inequalities in education persist in developing countries, but comprehensive policies to address them are often lacking. Using microlevel data from Ghana’s Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), we investigated the presence of an early gender gap in school readiness among 3-4-year-old children. First, we built two multidimensional indexes of school readiness that account for children’s ability to read, count, recognise numbers, interact with peers and others, follow rules and be independent for their health outcomes and physical skills. Second, we estimated the gender gap while controlling for factors affecting school readiness using regional fixed effects. We found no evidence of a gender difference in children’s school readiness. This result is robust to several specifications and sensitivity tests. In contrast, the results showed that a mother’s education, a father’s involvement and the fact of living in an urban area are positively associated with school readiness for both boys and girls. Based on these findings, we argue that the educational gender gap in Ghana most likely reflects the unequal access to schooling opportunities between boys and girls. Hence, policy makers should target the barriers in school access for both boys and girls to achieve educational gender equity.

Anahtar Kelimeler: gender gapschool readinessGhana
JEL Classification : J13 , J16 , I21

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APA

Bago, J.L., Ouédraogo, M., & Ouoba, M.M. (2025). Is There an Early Gender Gap in School Readiness Among 3-4-year-old Children? Evidence from Ghana. İktisat Politikası Araştırmaları Dergisi, 12(1), 28-44. https://doi.org/10.26650/JEPR1329603


AMA

Bago J L, Ouédraogo M, Ouoba M M. Is There an Early Gender Gap in School Readiness Among 3-4-year-old Children? Evidence from Ghana. İktisat Politikası Araştırmaları Dergisi. 2025;12(1):28-44. https://doi.org/10.26650/JEPR1329603


ABNT

Bago, J.L.; Ouédraogo, M.; Ouoba, M.M. Is There an Early Gender Gap in School Readiness Among 3-4-year-old Children? Evidence from Ghana. İktisat Politikası Araştırmaları Dergisi, [Publisher Location], v. 12, n. 1, p. 28-44, 2025.


Chicago: Author-Date Style

Bago, Jean Louis, and Moussa Ouédraogo and Marie Madeleine Ouoba. 2025. “Is There an Early Gender Gap in School Readiness Among 3-4-year-old Children? Evidence from Ghana.” İktisat Politikası Araştırmaları Dergisi 12, no. 1: 28-44. https://doi.org/10.26650/JEPR1329603


Chicago: Humanities Style

Bago, Jean Louis, and Moussa Ouédraogo and Marie Madeleine Ouoba. Is There an Early Gender Gap in School Readiness Among 3-4-year-old Children? Evidence from Ghana.” İktisat Politikası Araştırmaları Dergisi 12, no. 1 (Mar. 2025): 28-44. https://doi.org/10.26650/JEPR1329603


Harvard: Australian Style

Bago, JL & Ouédraogo, M & Ouoba, MM 2025, 'Is There an Early Gender Gap in School Readiness Among 3-4-year-old Children? Evidence from Ghana', İktisat Politikası Araştırmaları Dergisi, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 28-44, viewed 10 Mar. 2025, https://doi.org/10.26650/JEPR1329603


Harvard: Author-Date Style

Bago, J.L. and Ouédraogo, M. and Ouoba, M.M. (2025) ‘Is There an Early Gender Gap in School Readiness Among 3-4-year-old Children? Evidence from Ghana’, İktisat Politikası Araştırmaları Dergisi, 12(1), pp. 28-44. https://doi.org/10.26650/JEPR1329603 (10 Mar. 2025).


MLA

Bago, Jean Louis, and Moussa Ouédraogo and Marie Madeleine Ouoba. Is There an Early Gender Gap in School Readiness Among 3-4-year-old Children? Evidence from Ghana.” İktisat Politikası Araştırmaları Dergisi, vol. 12, no. 1, 2025, pp. 28-44. [Database Container], https://doi.org/10.26650/JEPR1329603


Vancouver

Bago JL, Ouédraogo M, Ouoba MM. Is There an Early Gender Gap in School Readiness Among 3-4-year-old Children? Evidence from Ghana. İktisat Politikası Araştırmaları Dergisi [Internet]. 10 Mar. 2025 [cited 10 Mar. 2025];12(1):28-44. Available from: https://doi.org/10.26650/JEPR1329603 doi: 10.26650/JEPR1329603


ISNAD

Bago, JeanLouis - Ouédraogo, Moussa - Ouoba, MarieMadeleine. Is There an Early Gender Gap in School Readiness Among 3-4-year-old Children? Evidence from Ghana”. İktisat Politikası Araştırmaları Dergisi 12/1 (Mar. 2025): 28-44. https://doi.org/10.26650/JEPR1329603



ZAMAN ÇİZELGESİ


Gönderim19.07.2023
Kabul30.05.2024
Çevrimiçi Yayınlanma14.02.2025

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