Examining the relationship between maternal poverty, education level, region and daughters' school dropout rates in Ghana

There are increasing numbers of studies on poverty in Ghana; yet, empirical research on gender poverty and inequality in Ghana is lacking. The purpose of this study is to examine whether a mother's poverty and education level may have a generational impact on her daughters' dropping out of school in Ghana. There is a gap in the social work literature since the research topic has never been quantitatively tested in Ghana. This study is relevant to national and international gender policies to address gender inequality.;A number of social, economic, political, religious and local and international policies have impacted gender policy issues. The Government of Ghana committed to providing a free basic education which was supported by a number of development organizations with a goal to alleviate the burden of education-related costs for poor families. This study is related to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 1 to 3: 1) eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; 2) achieve universal primary education; and 3) promote gender equality and empower women (United Nations, 2000).;UNICEF 2011 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS4) dataset for Ghana was analyzed to answer the research questions, utilizing SPSS software with a population of 3,174 girls, ages 8 to 17 and their biological and living mothers. The findings did not show major differences in school dropout among rich and poor households. The insignificant difference in school dropout suggests that governmental programs in place may be helping girls in poor households to stay in school especially at the basic level. Nevertheless, the findings show a good number of disadvantaged girls in the northern regions of Ghana who miss out on schooling. Increased involvement of the various institutions backed with solid governmental policies and funding of gender-based programs is essential.