Gender Disparities in Access to and Flow Rates of Secondary Schooling in Gamo and Gofa Zones, Ethiopia

Abstract This study intended to examine the status of gender disparities in enrollments, retentions, and promotion rates in secondary schooling in Gamo and Gofa zones. We employed a large-scale archival database to examine gender disparities in secondary schooling processes. In this aspect, we collected numerical data about access, dropouts, repetitions, and promotions from the recorded database of the sample zones. The collected numerical data were organized in excel Microsoft 2010 and computed the gender gap in secondary schooling processes. The results revealed the overall status of gender disparities in secondary schooling processes. Accordingly, the gender disparity status was closing; nevertheless, the advantage still favors male students over female students in enrollment and promotion rates. However, male students were at risk compared to female students in dropouts and repetition rates in grades 9-12 classroom exams for four consecutive years, 2015-2018. Yet, in grade 10 national exam and grade 12 national entrance exam scores, male students were advantageous over female students except for the low scorers (<50%) in the grade 12 natural sciences stream, in which the advantage favored female students over male students. In sum, we conclude that gender disparity advantages are still for male students over female students except in completion rates where boys are at learning risk compared to girls in secondary schools in Gamo and Gofa zones. Key words: Gender; Gender Disparities; Access; Flow Rates; Secondary Schooling