UNESCO - EFA Global Monitoring Report

Box 3.14. Sexism and parental preferences in Mali impact negatively on recruitment of female teachers

The ratio of female to male teachers in Malian primary schools ranged from 0.38 in state schools to 0.05 in medersas in 2000/01. Both communities and parents tend to favour male teachers. Thus in community schools, which are becoming increasingly important in the Malian education expansion process, the female/male ratio among teachers is also very low, at 0.24. In private secular or Roman Catholic schools, where students are drawn from better-off families, there is a preference for male teachers, reflecting the views of the families who fund the schools. Increased school autonomy and decentralization mean that the government has less opportunity to influence these outcomes: the diverse parties involved in school management, including households, community leaders, local politicians and local authorities, often have more ‘traditional’ attitudes towards male and female roles.





Sources: Sangaré et al. (2000); Lange (2003a).

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