Search

The third in a series of five handbooks designed to present and analyze statistical data on women in various regions of the world, this handbook focuses on women in 14 countries in the Near East and North Africa. Beginning with an overview of population distribution and changes in the region, the analysis continues with a description of women's literacy and education, their labor force participation, their marital status and living arrangements, their fertility, and their mortality. Information is presented not only in tables, charts, and text but also in narrative form offering a critique on concepts, availability, and quality of data assembled on each variable. Findings show that there are more women in the working age group (ages 15-64) in labor exporting countries, with more men in this group in labor importing countries. The Middle South Asia subregion has higher crude birth and death rates than North Africa and Western South Asia. Because more men than women migrate, the working age population remaining in rural areas is dominated by women. Although there are substantial differences in both literacy and school enrollment rates among men and women, improvements have been evidenced by higher percentages of literate and enrolled women among the younger age groups. Statistics also show a far lower participation of women than men in the labor force. Appendices contain a list of over 100 publications; information on data sources; a list of tables; and information on population by age, sex, and rural/urban residence. (LH)

Why is it that fewer girls than boys enter and stay in school? What may be done to further increase the school enrollment of girls in developing countries? The answers to these questions constitute the central focus of this paper. It first documents sex differences in primary school participation and wastage rates in developing countries. Participation refers to school enrollment and attendance, and wastage to repeating a grade or dropping out of school. National socioeconomic and demographic characteristics and primary school enrollment levels by sex are then compared. Specific educational policies, institutional factors in the school system, and household factors that have been found by educational researchers to contribute to the lower participation and higher wastage rates for girls are then reviewed. Lastly, policy recommendations are made suggesting ways to increase girls' attendance in primary schools throughout the developing world. The emphasis in this paper is on data disaggregated by sex, on factors that can account for sex differentials, and on policies that will enhance girls' access to primary schools. Policy recommendations discussed in this paper will potentially enhance both girls' and boys' opportunities for primary education; the emphasis, however, is upon recommendations that specifically address the problems of girls. (BW)