Why are girls not in school?

Every year on October 11, the world observes the International Day of the Girl Child. Declared by the United Nations on December 19, 2011, this day focuses on the specific challenges that girls face worldwide. The International Day of the Girl Child highlights the need to address these barriers while advancing girls’ empowerment and protecting their fundamental rights. This year’s theme, “Girls’ Vision for the Future,” speaks to their aspirations, but for many, these dreams remain out of reach.

While attending school is a privilege for many children, it remains a scarce opportunity for young girls. As reported by UNESCO, some 250 million children did not attend school in 2023. The majority of them were female. In Myanmar, 574 334 school-aged children were not enrolled in primary school in 2010, of whom 300 852 were girls. Only 37% of Cambodian women reach upper secondary school. Although multiple reasons exist and often are intertwined, poverty, assigned gender roles and traditions, early marriage, forced and domestic labour, human trafficking and hygiene are some of the most pressing issues preventing girls from accessing education.

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Early marriage is another factor impacting young women’s access to education. Apart from being a local tradition among several ethnic groups, or the hope among certain parents to offer their daughters a brighter future, early marital union is also closely correlated with poverty. Low-income families often seek to marry off their daughters as a coping strategy. The cost of raising a child is high and marriage lifts the burden. Besides, paying bride prices is still a relatively common practice in countries such as Vietnam. In other cases, marriage can be used to settle debts and financial disputes. Thus, there is a strong financial incentive for parents in need to marry off their daughters early, rather than to educate them formally.

What is more, once they become wives, young women are expected to take care of their households. Thus, if they were lucky enough to be enrolled in school before their wedding, they most likely will terminate their education once wedded. Additionally, early marriage is often a corollary to early pregnancy. Becoming mothers further reinforces life-bearer, caretaker roles for girls and makes them statistically more likely to put a premature end to their education, as compared to girls who are solely married.

Early marriage impacts a significant share of female youth in Southeast Asia. Per a UNICEF report, within the countries where Children of the Mekong is deployed, between 11% (in Vietnam) and 35.4% (in Laos) of girls are married before they reach 18 years of age. As a further illustration of the interlinkage between poverty and early child marriage, in 2015, nearly half (43%) of Laotian girls from minority groups and rural regions that are tremendously affected by rampant poverty were wed before they turned 18—a figure well above the national average of 33%. Similarly, the number of early pregnancies is substantial. While the world average adolescent birth rate is 50 per 1000 females aged 15 to 19, it is as high as 94 in Laos and 57 in Cambodia.

Child labour is yet another impediment to education. Within the Asia-Pacific region, over 60 million children are plagued by the problem. The National Child Labour Survey assessed that in Vietnam alone, over a million children between 5 to 17 years old were engaged in some sort of labour. In Cambodia, 44.8% of children aged between 5 and 14 years old are estimated to be working, as stated in the Cambodia Child Labour survey. Although boys outnumber girls in economically active work, girls are significantly overrepresented in domestic labour—which constitutes a significant share of the overall work by children.

Child domestic labour is a barrier to girls’ schooling. Young women helping their family by contributing to household chores and assisting their mothers is the norm, one that fits the role attributed to their gender. Such tasks are often performed in place of education. Because of women’s roles in most Asian societies, many parents see these chores as better preparing their daughters for their future lives. Yet, this domestic work is far from being limited to merely helping at home. Girls are often expected to seek outside employment and forego formal education in order to improve the family’s meagre income. Wealthier families frequently employ children from poor backgrounds. The figures presented in the International Labour Organization (ILO) report on child domestic labour in Asia and South East Asia further exemplify the scope and impact of domestic work among young women.  Indeed, the large majority of those child domestic workers are girls: 97.7% in Hanoi, 87% in Ho Chi Minh City, 77.4% in Bangkok, 82.2% in the Philippines, and 58.6% in Phnom Penh.

While it is true that young boys are also involved in domestic labour, gender plays out much differently in this particular segment of work. More girls than boys in domestic work tend to work full-time. In Cambodia, the overwhelming majority (85%) of boys engaging in domestic work devote 1 to 4 hours doing so daily, while most young female domestic workers must work over 4 hours daily. This is directly associated with educational opportunity: 67.7% of young male domestic workers are still able to attend school, but this figure drops to 46.6% for young women. Ergo, full-time domestic labour does not permit young girls to be on school benches.

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