Determinants of Access to Education: Factors Preventing Girls from Being Sent to Upper-Secondary Education in Rural Areas

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the reasons why most girls living in rural areas are not able to pursue their upper-secondary education. The study group consisted of 10 girls living in the rural areas of Tokat province and had not been sent to upper-secondary education, 10 parents who did not send their daughters to upper-secondary education, and 66 teachers and school administrators. The data were collected via interviews. During the interviews, demographic data of the girls and families, as well as the reasons why the girls were not sent to school, were collected. The data were then examined via content analysis. Measures to ensure validity and reliability were taken during data collection, processing, and analysis. In the study, 21 reasons, which were further categorized into 4 themes, were identified. Our findings have determined patriarchy, distrust, conservatism, poverty, use of child labor, child marriage, distance to school, and peer pressure as the main reasons preventing the girls to pursue their upper-secondary education. Furthermore, most answers consisted of a combination of two or more reasons. Thus, we recommend that public institutions and NGOs, especially the Ministry of National Education, the Ministry of Family and Social Policies, and the Ministry of Health, should focus on studies that aim to change the gender perception of rural families for equality.