Female Headship in Households and Children’s Educational Attainment in Ghana

The study seeks to extend the educational literature in developing countries by investigating the effect of female household headship on children’s educational attainment in Ghana. Using data on adult children aged 22–30 from the 2012/13 and 2016/17 Ghana Living Standards Survey, the results suggest that children raised in female-headed households are more likely to start primary school early and more likely to attain higher educational qualifications than those in male-headed households. In addition, children who start primary school late are more likely to attain higher educational qualifications compared to those who start early. There was no difference between de jure (absolute controlled) and de facto (partial controlled) female-headed households. Further, household-level evidence suggests that female-headed households prioritise and spend more money on children's education, a behavioural pattern that is consistent with, though does not directly explain, the attainment differences observed for adult children. However, there was no significant difference in children’s time investment in education activities across female- and male-headed households.