Education and women's empowerment: evidence from Uganda

Thao Bui
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Thao Bui: Queens College CUNY

JODE - Journal of Demographic Economics, 2025, vol. 91, issue 2, 263-298

Abstract: The government of Uganda introduced an education reform that eliminated school fees for primary school-age children in 1997. This paper finds that an increase in education, generated by the reform, has a positive impact on women's empowerment. Specifically, an increase in schooling, due to the reform, improves women's involvement in decision making within the household by increasing their likelihood of having a final say on issues related to their own health, about large household expenses, and regarding visits to family or relatives. Education enhances women's cognitive ability but has no impact on women's labor market opportunities and attitudes toward gender-based violence.

Keywords: Education; Removal of primary school fees; Sub-Saharan Africa; Uganda; Women’s empowerment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I12 I25 J16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-06-25
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ctl:louvde:v:91:y:2025:i:2:p:263-298

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