Initially, Korea's primary and secondary education expanded primarily for males, followed by the expansion of female education, which eventually caught up and became universal. In this process, a gender education gap emerged and then disappeared. This...
Initially, Korea's primary and secondary education expanded primarily for males, followed by the expansion of female education, which eventually caught up and became universal. In this process, a gender education gap emerged and then disappeared. This study examines historical data on the hypotheses that can explain the process of the gender education gap disappearing as female education expanded: changes in the female labor market conditions, the impact of education on marriage, competition for resource allocation within households, and the expansion of supply for girls' schools and female teachers. According to the analysis results, the role of changes in female labor market conditions was not significant in the expansion of female education. The expansion of female education increased the likelihood of marriage with spouses from better backgrounds. Evidence of competition for resource allocation within households was limited. The increase in the supply of girls' schools and female teachers preceded the expansion of middle and high school education for women.