Does Longer Compulsory Education Equalize Schooling by Gender and Rural/Urban Residence?

Abstract

Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen:Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden.Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen.Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. www.econstor.eu This study examines the effects of the extension of compulsory schooling from 5 to 8 years in Turkey in 1997 -which involved substantial investment in school infrastructure -on schooling outcomes and, in particular, on the equality of these outcomes between men and women, and urban and rural residents using the Turkish Demographic and Health Surveys. This policy is peculiar because it also changes the sheepskin effects (signaling effects) of schooling, through its redefinition of the schooling tiers. The policy is also interesting due to its large spillover effects on post-compulsory schooling as well as its remarkable overall effect; for instance, we find that the completed years of schooling by age 17 increases by 1.5 years for rural women. The policy equalizes the educational attainment of urban and rural children substantially. The urban-rural gap in the completed years of schooling at age 17 falls by 0.5 years for men and by 0.7 to 0.8 years for women. However, there is no evidence of a narrowing gender gap with the policy. On the contrary, the gender gap in urban areas in postcompulsory schooling widens. The findings suggest that stronger sheepskin effects for men, resulting from their much higher labor-force participation rate, bring about this widening gender gap. Terms of use: Documents in D I S C U S S I O N P A P E R S E R I E SJEL Classification: I21, I24, I28, J15, J16

Turkey Country Gender Assessment 2018

“…The reform seems to have had important equalizing effects on the educational attainment of urban and rural children. According to the study of Kirdar, Dayioglu-Tayfur, and Koc (2014), the urban-rural gap in the completed years of schooling at age 17 fell by 0.5 years for men and by 0.7 years for women. However, no evidence of an effect of the policy was found on narrowing the gender gap.…”

A Multidimensional Perspective on Education in Developing Countries

“…The spillover effects of the policy to post-compulsory grades (grades 11 and 12) is an interesting finding. There is not much report in the literature concerning this; an exception is Kirdar et al (2015) and Oreopoulos (2009). Raising the compulsory education years limit increased high school completion (grades 11 and 12) indicating that would-be dropouts perhaps reconsidered post-compulsory school options after getting close to, or completing, compulsory education.…”

“…Compulsory education laws usually involve non-compliance costs, which can be monetary or non-monetary (Kirdar et al, 2015). Countries also carry out improved registration such that parents of children who practice unauthorized absenteeism or who illegally leave school can be identified and, if necessary, fined (Cabus and De Witte, 2011).…”

“…There is substantial evidence to suggest that compulsory education improves school attendance (Kirdar et al, 2015;Lleras-Muney, 2002;Rauscher, 2014). Consequently, in the past decades, many countries have made changes in their compulsory education laws in order to improve educational outcomes (Landis and Reschly, 2011;OECD, 2013).…”

“…The benefits obtained from additional years of compulsory education have been to universalize (lower) secondary education and increase schooling attainment (Brunello et al, 2009;Diaz-Serrano, 2020). Other benefits aimed at prolonging compulsory education are the improvement of child health, reducing of teenage fertility, and increasing economic returns (Black et al, 2008;Brunello et al, 2009;Kirdar et al, 2015). With the growing consensus that prolonging compulsory education to incorporate lower secondary education is interrelated with students' progression to secondary education, developing countries have typically adopted Western models to overcome the barriers of progression to secondary education.…”