Compulsory Schooling in Turkey, Educational Attainment, and the Gender Gap

Jennifer Ward-Batts, Kaitlin Nowacki and Toseef Azid

Chapter 25 in Economic Empowerment of Women in the Islamic World:Theory and Practice, 2020, pp 523-545 from World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.

Abstract: Education is one of the factors widely understood to affect women’s empowerment. Gender-neutral compulsory schooling requirements can decrease gender gaps in education in some circumstances. Compulsory schooling in Turkey was increased in 1997 from 5 years to 8 years. We examine the effect of this change on educational attainment, and in particular investigate whether there was a differential effect of this change on females relative to males. Using 2003 Demographic and Health Surveys data, we find an overall positive effect on the probability of completion of 8 years, as well as a positive differential effect for females of the change on both years of education and probability of completion of 8 years. We also find, as predicted, that the gender gap narrowed in low-wealth families in particular. However, we find a persistent gender gap in the country’s more traditional, less-developed eastern region.

Keywords: Islam; Gender Studies; Women Studies; Quran; Sunnah; Female Empowerment; Shariah; Prophet Muhammad; Business in Islam; Patriarchal Fundamentalism; Secular Feminism; Women's Rights; Human Rights; Aceh; Gender Empowerment Measure; Globalization; Press Freedom; Organisation of Islamic Cooperation; Education; Arab World; Nanofinance; Microfinance; Labour; Ottoman Empire; Iran; Waqaf; Waqf; Malaysia; Pakistan; Singapore; Dual-Income Households; Bangladesh; Food Security; Human Capital; Saudi Arabia; Turkey (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 A14 J16 O1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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