Journal of Education & Social Policy

Gender Inequity in Education in Algeria: When Inequalities are Reversed
Ouadah-Bedidi Zahia

Abstract
In Algeria, education was long a privilege reserved for men. Since Algeria became independent, one of the priorities of the country has been to bring all children, regardless of sex, to school. Forty years after independence, almost all children aged 6-15 (both boys and girls) attend school, and access to upper secondary schools and universities has been opened to everyone. However, past age 16 (the limit for compulsory schooling), girls continue to study longer than boys, and have more success earning diplomas, a trend which reflects a surprising inversion of the gender imbalance in education. This phenomenon, which started in large cities and some pioneering wilayas, quickly spread to villages and diffused throughout the national territory. This is one of the major changes that has taken place in modern Algeria, the development of which must be analysed objectively, as it brings up many questions concerning its causes and effects.

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