Teacher gender effects in lower-income countries: a cross-country comparative perspective

Employing more female teachers has been promoted internationally as a means for closing the gender gap in education. While there has been much previous research on this topic, few of these studies have focused on lower-income countries. In this study, the authors contribute to the research with a macro perspective on the teacher gender effects in low- and lower-middle income countries. Their research confirms previously held conceptions that a higher share of female teachers is positively associated with school enrolment ratios for girls in these countries. There is, in contrast, no unambiguous support for any association between the share of female teachers and learning outcomes of the students. In aggregate, their cross-country comparative perspective thus lends support to the policy of engaging a higher share of female teachers in primary schools as a means to increase gender equality, at least in contexts where women still constitute a minority of the teaching staff.