Browsing by Author "Wallin, Maaria"

This thesis provides information of the unjust geographies of girls and assesses empirical data on girls’ access to and through secondary education in Tanzania by using a case study approach. This study focuses on girls’ education in rural Mtwara because of its utmost importance. First, an internationally accepted human rights-based perceptive on girls’ education is present. Second, gender equality in and through secondary education has a direct and indirect effect on the reduction of overall poverty: employment and increased decision-making capabilities modify family opinions that further advance girls’ education and future asset accumulation that indirectly benefits the wider society. Rural Mtwara was chosen as a case study since it is characterized by particularly low secondary-school attendance and poor academic performance of girls. A number of variables affect access to education, including family and social factors as well as those related to the learning environment itself. Outside donors and governments can also affect the outcome. This study investigates the role of families in structuring the secondary school access of girls in low-income rural households, and it examines the individual, cultural, environmental, and economic factors that shape girls’ access to education in the rapidly changing environment of rural Mtwara. This study qualitatively explores how girls’ graduation from secondary school has benefitted both their lives and their families’ lives, especially in economic terms, and increased girls’ access to other spaces such as employment in a segregated society. Gender equal access remains a core issue of this study.