_Gender Equality and Economic Development: The Role for ICTs_ 12

# <u>Youth Sex Ratio</u>

The youth sex ratio, being a pure demographic variable, should not have any influence on the gender inequality in education. It is being included in the regressions as an independent variable to control for the effects of changes in the number of girls to boys in the population. Note that the variable being used to proxy gender equality in education in this empirical analysis, the ratio of female to male students in primary and secondary schools, tends to vary with the youth sex ratio and this variation is unrelated to changes in gender equality. For example, if the youth sex ratio of a specific country declines from 100 to 90 percent over a period of time, one would expect, in absence of a gender gap, the student ratio to decline from 100 to 90 percent as well. Inclusion of the youth sex ratio as a control variable thus ensures that changes in the student ratio due to changes in the youth sex ratio are properly accounted for. In light of the above, the youth sex ratio is expected to have a positive effect on the student ratio. More specifically, increases in the youth sex ratio are expected to lead to increases in the student ratio.

# <u>Level of General Education</u>

It was argued above that education tends to broaden one’s views, reduce ethnocentricity, and thus increase one’s flexibility of accepting new customs and norms. As such, the level of education attained by the general population plays an important role in increasing acceptance of the concept of gender equality.

# <u>Public Education Expenditure</u>

Public expenditure on education can potentially increase the number of females being enrolled in schools, other things being held constant. In an economy where the number of children exceeds the capacity of schools, increased public education expenditures can expand the capacity of schools, if the increased expenditures are used to say provide more classrooms and/or more teachers. If gender inequality exists in this society, then majority of the currently enrolled students will be boys and the female-tomale student ratio will be small. With additional capacity in schools, more children will be able to enroll in schools and if it is the case that majority of the male children in the population are already enrolled in schools, then it is likely that majority of the new incoming students will be female. This will tend to increase the female-male student ratio and hence increasing gender equality. In addition, studies have found that the female school enrollment is particularly sensitive to the costs associated with formal education. If public education expenditure is alternatively used to subsidize some or all of these costs, female school enrollment will increase relative to that of males.

However, it is also possible that the increased public education expenditure is not used to increase the capacity of schools or subsidize school fees or to provide textbooks. Fro example, if the additional public education expenditure is used instead to improve the quality of teachers via teacher training, then it is likely that there will be no effects on gender equality. In summary, while it is possible that increases in public education