Education, male gender preference and migrants' remittances: Interactions in rural Morocco

• Published in: Economic modelling Vol. 57; pp. 324 - 331
• Main Authors: Bouoiyour, Jamal, Miftah, Amal, Mouhoud, El Mouhoub
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.09.2016; Elsevier Science Ltd; Elsevier
• Subjects: Economic models; Economics and Finance; Education; Gender equity; Human capital; Humanities and Social Sciences; International migration; Morocco; Probit model; Remittances; Rural areas; School attendance; Studies; Morocco; International migration; Probit model; Morocco; Education
• ISSN: 0264-9993; 1873-6122
• DOI: 10.1016/j.econmod.2015.10.026

The paper seeks to analyze the relationship between migrants' remittances and educational attendance in rural areas of southern Morocco. We perform a probit model to assess whether children who live in recipient households are more likely to attend school than their counterparts in other types of households. We find that the receipt of remittances has a significant positive effect on school attendance, especially for boys. The findings may be of interest to other developing countries and to the relevant policy makers, as the results suggest that migrants' remittance may serve as a channel for investing in human capital in such recipient countries and that the gains are much greater for boys, contributing to higher gender inequalities in access to education in rural areas. •We study the relationship between migrants’ remittances and educational attendance in rural Morocco.•Oiginal data was analyzed using IV probit model.•Remittances affect significantly the decision of parents to let their children pursue their education, but the gains are much greater for boys.•The study presents some preliminary evidence on gender differences in school attendance.•Male headship disfavors girls’schooling and discourages their pursuit of education.