Rates of gender exclusion

The document analyzes gender gaps in education across Africa, noting that while parity has improved, sub-Saharan Africa continues to lag behind North Africa and other global regions. It highlights a widening gap as students progress to higher education levels, particularly in Central Africa, and forecasts that sub-Saharan Africa will not reach the 2019 global mean length of adult female education (8.4 years) until the second half of the 21st century without aggressive intervention.

• In Africa, there is a significant gap in school attendance for children aged 6 to 11, with 9 million girls never attending school compared to 6 million boys.
• Gender parity in sub-Saharan Africa declines as the level of education increases. In 2019, the female-to-male ratio was 96:100 at the primary level, 91:100 at the lower secondary level, 87:100 at the upper-secondary level, and 80:100 at the tertiary level.
• Central Africa is the worst performing region in sub-Saharan Africa regarding female enrollment across all levels, with ratios as low as 77 girls per 100 boys in lower secondary and 68 girls per 100 boys in upper-secondary education in 2019.
• North Africa generally outperforms sub-Saharan Africa in gender parity, with female students outnumbering males at the upper-secondary (103:100) and tertiary (116:100) levels in 2019.
• Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to reach the 2019 global mean length of adult female education (8.4 years) only in the second half of the 21st century, and there is no indication it will close the gap with the rest of the world without aggressive interventions.

APA

Aikins, E. R., & Cilliers, J. (2026). Rates of gender exclusion. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=06-education&topic=07-rates-of-gender-exclusion

Chicago

Aikins, Enoch Randy, and Jakkie Cilliers. Rates of gender exclusion. Institute for Security Studies, 2026. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=06-education&topic=07-rates-of-gender-exclusion.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Aikins |first1=Enoch Randy |last2=Cilliers |first2=Jakkie |title=Rates of gender exclusion |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=21 April 2026 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=06-education&topic=07-rates-of-gender-exclusion |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{aikins2026rates, author = {Aikins, Enoch Randy and Cilliers, Jakkie}, title = {{Rates of gender exclusion}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2026}, month = apr, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=06-education&topic=07-rates-of-gender-exclusion}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }