Although 52% of Burkina Faso's population is women, boys receive preference in schooling. In 2006, only about 10% of the secondary school pupils were girls. At the University of Ouagadougou in 2000-2005 one quarter of the students were women, but just 5% of students in the sciences were women. This rate is dramatically lower in physics, both for the students (less than 1%) and for the teachers (only two women). This condition can be explained by religious and cultural considerations, financial and economic reasons, social pressure (mathematics, physics, and technology are dedicated to men), and future prospects for scientists in Burkina Faso. Some strategies to better feminize physics (and the sciences) in Burkina Faso are presented.

women in science Burkina Faso education of girls in Burkina Faso