This brief summarises evidence from a rigorous literature review titled ‘Interventions to enhance girls’ education and gender equality‘ by Unterhalter et al (2014). The evidence reviewed indicates the importance of a mix of combined interventions which work to change institutions. Evidence suggests the following interventions:

• Resource interventions to support girls’ education (eg. conditional cash transfers or in-kind support) depend on careful targeting of students most unlikely to attend school. Complementary in-kind health interventions can enhance enrolment and may result in learning gains for girls and boys.
• Infra-structural interventions (eg.sanitation, school building) improve enrolment and potentially learning but more research is needed to show how.
• Interventions for institutional change require well trained teachers, gender equitable schools and administrators.
  Interventions to shift gender norms are under-researched. Girls’ clubs, engaging faith communities, working with boys, and strategies to include marginalised women in decision-making appear promising.

The full review can be downloaded here.

This review is part of a series of DFID education rigorous literature reviews. Other reviews in this series include:

• The Impact of Tertiary Education on Development
• The role and impact of private schools in developing countries
• Literacy, Foundation Learning and Assessment in Developing Countries
• The Political Economy of Education Systems in Developing Countries
• Pedagogy, Curriculum, Teaching Practices and Teacher Education in Developing Countries