Gender inequalities and their educational implications for girls and boys in Central Asia during COVID-19

• In Event: Highlighted Session: Educating for inclusion beyond the pandemic: Digitalization, distance education and the teaching profession in Central Asia

Proposal

Previous studies have shown wide-ranging gender inequalities in education in Central Asia. Females in Tajikistan have lower educational attainment than males, and there is a widening gap in educational attainment based on sex, rural/urban residence, and ethnicity. The number of rural girls leaving school after grade 9 has increased significantly in Tajikistan since 1991, in part due to poverty and traditions. Similarly, research has found that gender inequality is more noticeable in rural areas of Kyrgyzstan in relation to access to school. Whereas gendered educational inequalities have reduced in Mongolia, there remain disparities in access to quality education and education for students from all ethnic minorities in the country.

There is less research on distance learning in these countries and the impact this could have on addressing these gender inequalities. Given extensive disruption and school closure periods during the pandemic, this represents a major gap in research and policy. This presentation reports on qualitative research conducted as part of the international research project “Distance Learning to Improve Quality and Access in Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and Tajikistan”, focussing on differences in the vulnerabilities of students based on gender. The preliminary analysis identified three main themes:

First, both girls and boys from poorer families have had to take on more non-educational duties due to the pandemic. At the same time, the gender division of labor between girls and boys as well as the workload of children has increased significantly. Girls are increasingly tied to caring (for younger siblings, sick family members) and domestic chores such as cooking, cleaning, and helping younger siblings with homework whereas boys’ chores are related to farming work in the field and in the pasture. However, this trend is not universal: the study found in the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan that in some prosperous and poor single-parent families, girls and boys do practically no housework.

Second, gender stereotypes and cultural taboos have changed. Access to the Internet and devices has changed the opportunities for students, especially girls. The forced provision of schoolchildren with mobile and other devices gave girls chances to develop their digital skills. In addition, because of distance learning during COVID-19, students from religious families received access to the internet and learning resources for the first time.

Third, despite the fact that many girls and boys have had to take on more household duties when studying from home, the conditions for online learning at home are often better than the gender-non-sensitive infrastructure of rural schools. Some respondents noted as a positive aspect of online learning that teenage girls could study from home while menstruating because in many rural schools, the sanitary and hygienic conditions do not meet girls’ needs.
Based on the findings, recommendations will be made for representatives of the education system, parents and communities on improving the organization and management of the distance learning process identifying specific needs of girls and boys, on increasing the motivation of students to study in distance learning format, and on increasing parental participation in the education process (especially fathers).

Author

• Chinara Omurkulova, Taalim-Forum