Gendering childhood(s) and engagement with schooling in rural Sierra Leone

ABSTRACT

In spite of widespread initiatives to improve access to education for girls, substantive concerns remain. While there is a rich and growing body of literature on gendered experiences of school in majority world contexts, absent is a focus on how this intersects with children’s out of school lives. Further, research with children in rural communities is limited, including those who are in the earlier years of their schooling. This paper addresses these gaps, focusing on gendered dynamics in the everyday lives of children in five rural communities in Northern Sierra Leone. Drawing on Bourdieu, it explores the dialectical interplay between gendered and generational structures, understood as the gendered habitus, in a wider context of structural poverty, uneven and fragile post-colonial restructuring and development. This sets the groundwork for children’s gendered dis/positioning, and ultimately capacity to engage with schooling.

KEYWORDS:

• Gender
• generation
• childhood
• schooling
• Bourdieu
• Africa

Disclaimer

This research was funded with a grant from the Irish Government. However, the content within this publication is entirely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect Irish Aid Policy.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1. This refers to the practices involved in collective cultures.

2. 60% of heads of households in our case study communities had never gone to school (Author et al).

3. Age ranges of the children are subject to variation owed to fragmented school attendance and do not necessarily correspond to typical age ranges for that class level.

4. Community leaders were informed about the research prior to the fieldwork. Consent was obtained from parents/gaurdians. Child assent was sought by explaining the purpose/methods of the study using child friendly and age appropriate language.

5. Fieldwork was conducted by the researchers alongside Sierra Leonian fieldworkers.

6. Bosire (2012) notes the continuing impact on processes of (gender) socialisation, economic and political life.

7. McFerson (2012) notes how the context of repeated crises have further marginalised and disempowered women, while at the same time opening up spaces by necessity for survival by women in single parent families to engage in economic activity outside the home.

8. Payment is required for membership of the secret society, often to the Chief (McFerson 2012). For Mariama’ father, it appears to be connected to his own desire for her to be fully educated before full initiation and marriage.

9. Digba is the woman who conducts the initiation on behalf of the secret society.

10. In many instances, elder women were the main care-givers and decision-makers in the family, in light of high mortality rates.

11. Especially prominent are unregistered marriages of young people when a girl gets pregnant.

12. At the time of writing the Ministry of Education announced that the ban on pregnant girls attending school was to be lifted.

13. Students of approved primary schools do not pay school fees, but cover school related costs such as uniform and learning materials. In schools that are not approved school fees still persist.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded with a grant from the Irish Government. However the content within this publication is entirely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect Irish Aid Policy.