Where Are the Immigrant Girls? Policy Brief No. 12

N

6

Immigrants; Females; Gender Differences; Gender Bias; Social Bias; Cultural Differences; Achievement Tests; Elementary Secondary Education; Foreign Countries; International Assessment; Mathematics Tests; Science Achievement; Mathematics Achievement; Science Tests; Barriers; Equal Education; Grade 8; European History

Europe; Canada; Africa; South America; North America; Asia; Australia; New Zealand; United States

2215-0196

Girls and women, especially the most vulnerable, are more likely to be excluded from education than their male counterparts. Exclusion and gender disparities in access to and performance in education are also observed among immigrant children, with immigrant girls often being the most disadvantaged. Data from the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement's (IEA's) Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011 for lower secondary schools (Grade 8) show that in certain countries in Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the percentage of immigrant girls enrolled in schools at the lower secondary level is much smaller than that of immigrant boys. For example, in several countries (such as Iran, Romania, Chinese Taipei, Lithuania, and Turkey), more than half of immigrant girls are not enrolled in schools. This unequal access threatens gender equality in educational outcomes within the immigrant population and hinders overall development efforts towards the attainment of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) (or "the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development"). Policymakers need to identify and address the underlying factors preventing immigrant girls from exercising and benefiting from their right to education.

As Provided

18

2017

ED574324