A Qualitative Study of Parental Resistance to Girls' Schooling

Abstract

The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the reasons for parental resistance to girls' schooling. The study was conducted in Ordu, Giresun, Gumushane, and Sinop provinces of Turkey where school enrollment rates for girls were among the lowest in the Black Sea Region. The results showed that obstacles for female education varied and measures should be taken according to each context. Lack of adequate accommodation facilities for girls was the most iterated factor. Transportation, poverty, concerns for girls' chastity, the need for girls' labor at home, conservatism, preference for Koran schools with boarding facilities, early marriages, and high unemployment rates among educated youth were detected as significant obstacles for female education. Effective strategies addressing to each factor should be adopted.