What interventions might help improve girls' education in low- and middle-income countries?

An article published in Campbell Systematic Reviews summarizes evidence from 82 studies from low- and middle- income countries to identify programs that may help to improve girls' education outcomes and narrow gender disparities.

The authors of the review concluded that interventions that address financial barriers to school, lack of adequate food, and insufficient academic support may help to improve girls' education outcomes. Interventions that aim to improve girls' access to schools and materials, and improve water and sanitation in schools, especially toilets, may also be promising approaches.

The review found no evaluations of the effects of school-related gender-based violence interventions on girls' education and very few studies that examined educational outcomes of sports programs for girls, school-based health and childcare, child marriage and adolescent pregnancy, and menstrual hygiene management.

"This review is timely. We can use the evidence to counter COVID-19's devastating toll on education and to identify critical research gaps in the gender and education field," said corresponding author Nicole Haberland, senior associate at the Population Council, in New York City.