Gender inequality in schooling The case of Turkey

• Published in: Sociology of education Vol. 79; no. 1; pp. 25 - 43
• Main Authors: Rankin, Bruce H, Aytac, Isik A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA American Sociological Association 2006; SAGE Publications
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Bildungsbeteiligung; Birth Order; Child care; Cultural attitudes; Cultural Influences; Culture; Datenanalyse; Daughters; Developing countries; Economic development; Education; Educational Attainment; Educational Change; Educational Inequality; Educational Resources; Educational Supply; Einkommen; Elementary schools; Equal Education; Familie; Familienleben; Family culture; Family Income; Family Life; Family resources; Family Structure; Fathers; Females; Foreign Countries; Gender; Gender Bias; Gender Differences; Gender inequalities; Gender inequality; Gender roles; Geschlecht; Geschlechtsbezogene Pädagogik; Geschlechtsspezifische Sozialisation; Getrenntgeschlechtliche Erziehung; Girls; Inequality; Junior high schools; LDCs; Locality; Metropolitan Areas; Outcomes of Education; Place of Residence; Primary education; Relatives; Rural Urban Differences; Schulbesuch; Sexual Inequality; Siblings; Social Attitudes; Sociology; Sociology of education. Educational systems. Lifelong education; Sons; Sozioökonomische Lage; Turkey; Türkei; Ungleichheit; Unterschied; Weiterführende Schule; Womens studies; Turkey; Educational Attainment; Sociocultural context; Socioeconomic status; Family income; Birth Order; Gender difference; Educational Policy; Schooling; State role; Metropolitan Area; Sociology of education; Comparison; Educational Inequality; Developing Countries; Family structure; Economic structure
• ISSN: 0038-0407; 0003-1232; 1939-8573
• DOI: 10.1177/003804070607900102

Drawing on recent research on education in developing countries, this article examines gender inequality in schooling in Turkey. Using a nationally representative sample of Turkish youths, it assesses the effects of macrostructure, family resources, and cultural attitudes and practices on primary and postprimary school attainment. The results show that while locality, family resources, and family structure and culture influence the education of both genders, girls' chances of postprimary schooling are greater if they live in metropolitan areas and in less patriarchal families. Birth-order comparisons indicate that older daughters are less likely to complete postprimary schooling than are their younger sisters. Girls' primary school attainment is facilitated by having other family members who help with child care. The findings are discussed in light of trends in Turkish society and their implications for future research.