Factors affecting school participation in Turkey: an analysis of regional differences

There are thousands of children who remain out of school at both primary and secondary levels in Turkey. The current disparities in access to education in Turkey are mostly driven by systematic regional differences and high gender inequalities. Although several existing studies have paid close attention to gender-based inequities in school access, none of the existing studies have attempted to systematically understand regional differences in schooling. This study therefore intends to address this gap in the literature. Results of the study indicated several key factors, such as gender, household poverty and gender role attitudes, that contributes to the regional inequalities in access to education in Turkey. Based on these findings, suggestions for policy makers and future research were made.