From Mothers to Children: The Implications of Work on Education in Senegal

Despite the implementation of a universal education policy in Senegal, the academic achievements of children by the end of the primary school cycle remains a major problem. Besides the acquisition of knowledge on the classical subjects that are taught in school, several other reasons related to family life were highlighted as determinants in academic achievements of learners. We pay specific interest to the impact of the mothers labour in a context whereby women are more and more involved in the labour market and are faced with serious difficulties in being able to reconcile their professional roles with their maternal obligations. Indeed, in Senegal, the employment of women, mostly in precarious and low paying jobs, prevents them from balancing their professional obligations with their maternal responsibilities, which has a negative impact on the academic achievements of their children.