Factors Affecting Female Participation in Post- Secondary Education: A Cross-Sectional Study from Khulna District of Bangladesh

Abstract

Participation of women in higher level of education is essential for the socioeconomic
advancement of developing countries. This cross-sectional study makes an attempt to identify
potential factors that affect the women’s participation in post-secondary level of education in
Bangladesh through an empirical research. A total of 756 respondents from Khulna District of
Bangladesh was selected through systematic random sampling and surveyed with semi-structured
interview schedules in this study. The ordinal dependent variable, educational attainment
categorised as below secondary (grade 10 or below) and post-secondary (above grade 10), was
measured by the years of schooling received by the respondents. The bivariate analyses were
performed using chi-square test to explore possible associations between educational status
and selected covariates while logistic regression was considered to know the marginal effects of
independent variables. Both in bivariate and multivariate setup, respondents’ age, type of family,
parental education, number of siblings, birth order and household income level were found
highly significant (P< 0.01) factors affecting female participation in post-secondary education’
at the end of the sentence.