Title: The effects of girl child school dropout on community development of rural areas in Zimbabwe: a national perspective

Authors: Smart Mhembwe; Hope Mapurisa

Addresses: Gender Institute, Midlands State University, P. Bag 9055, Gweru, Zimbabwe ' Department of Development Studies, Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University, P.O. Box 350, Bindura, Zimbabwe

Abstract: The study investigated how cases of girl child school dropout negatively affect the overall development of rural communities. Qualitative research design was employed and interviews were used to gather information from participants. The study established that socio-economic factors contributed to high levels of rural girl child school dropout and that the effects of such cases include high rural unemployment, household food insecurity, high maternal and infant mortality rates, domestic violence and anti-social activities. The study concludes that in the absence of development partners to enhance campaigns for rural girl children to remain in school, rural community development in Zimbabwe will remain farfetched.

Keywords: girl child; school dropout; education; human capital; community development.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGSDS.2022.125708

International Journal of Gender Studies in Developing Societies, 2022 Vol.4 No.4, pp.360 - 376

Received: 05 Aug 2021
Accepted: 26 Apr 2022
Published online: 26 Sep 2022 *

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