Notes

management because of a lack of data; and (d) limited funding resulting from how FP is prioritized, as well as weak intersectoral collaboration on drivers of fertility. On the demand side, constraints to reducing fertility include lack of engagement of men as partners in FP, an increase in childbearing among urban educated women caused by shifting norms, and limited labor market opportunities.

In the education sector (including tertiary education), enrollment and retention are key issues. There is a significant drop in enrollment at the secondary level for both girls and boys (from nearly universal to 68 percent for girls and 71 percent for boys). school dropouts are a persistent risk with children from poor families, with boys more likely to drop out. In schools, quality of education is a big concern. It is estimated that 70 percent of children experience learning poverty (that is, they cannot read and understand a short, age-appropriate text by age 10). some of the failures of the education sector include its inability to keep pace with the demand for higher education and a mismatch between what is taught in schools and the skills needed in the labor market, especially for female tertiary-level students.

The government is addressing these concerns by expanding capacity of educational institutions, opening community schools and more universities, improving quality of higher education, and supporting blended and distance learning at the lower levels, which is also likely to encourage greater participation of girls. Female labor force participation in the country remains low (under 24 percent), and with the shrinking of the public sector—the main employer for women— there has been a drop in already-low female employment. Female employment in the private sector can increase, but the sector needs to create conditions that are conducive to female employment, such as safe transport, flexible hours and working arrangements, access to childcare, and reduced risk of sexual harassment. gender and social norms also pose a challenge, especially when higher value is placed on women’s domestic roles and their role as mothers. Early marriages and uneven power structures within households continue to affect women’s ability to make decisions about their own reproductive health and fertility and the extent to which they can participate in school or employment. social protection programs also play an important role in Egypt’s population policy. The country has launched several programs aimed at addressing fertility, such as the TKP, which promotes school attendance, improved family nutrition, and use of primary health care. This effort is strongly aligned with the recently launched Waaei program, which aims to support female empowerment through FP, girls’ education, and combating of female genital mutilation and early marriage. still, to complement the analysis of the sectoral and social drivers of fertility, it is critical to assess the economic impact of fertility changes in terms of what Egypt has missed out on and what potential gains could be made. The next chapter offers some pointers.

NOTES

1. UIs (UnEsCO Institute of statistics), http://uis.unesco.org/. 2. World Bank calculations based on CAPMAs 2019. 3. For example, germany, France, Austria, and Canada (community colleges). 4. CAPMAs labor Force survey. http://www.erfdataportal.com/index.php/catalog/149.