In large parts of Africa, poor school attendance and performance are generally
problems associated with girls rather than boys. The reasons why girls are
absent from school or perform worse than boys, lie in structural and societal
imbalances skewed against them. These comprise a raft of disadvantages, for
example, the distance of the school from home; poverty; strict and unfair
gender roles causing girls to be burdened with household chores; and social
prejudices that rule that because girls marry, they need no education. All
these factors individually and collectively can make school attendance and
educational success difficult for girls.