Gender-based violence and gender bias in schooling decision : evidence from sub-Saharan Africa

This paper examines the impact of gender based violence against women and girls (GBV), in the environment the children live in, on school attendance, school achievement, as well as boys' and girls' dropouts. Based on the sixth phase of the Demographic and Health Surveys from 18 sub-Saharan African countries, it appears that the acts of GBV - measured through intimate partner violence, early marriage, and female genital mutilations - negatively affect the schooling of boys and girls. Obviously, significant heterogeneities exist among countries. However, the effect of GBV seems more important for girls.