PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Henry Herrera
Phone: +1-301-801-0608
Email: davia@endtodv.org

The Data Is Clear: From School to Work, Senegal’s Boys and Men Are Struggling

June 27, 2025 – In Senegal, men face mounting disadvantages that are often overlooked. From school to health to violence, the gaps between men and women are wide—and growing.

Education:
Only 34.1% of boys complete lower secondary school, compared to 44.7% of girls. This gap holds across broader data as well: just 34.5% of boys reach completion, while girls stand at 43.2% (1)(2). Literacy is similarly unbalanced—only 39.8% of men over 15 are literate, versus 51.9% of women (3).

Health:
Men’s average life expectancy is nearly four years shorter—66.79 years vs. 70.75 for women (4). Adult mortality is higher too: 203.5 men per 1,000 adults die, compared to 138.5 women (5).

Child Labor:
Boys are over three times more likely to be involved in child labor: 25.6% compared to 8.6% of girls. Early work leads to lost education and greater risk (6).

Homicide:
Men face a much higher risk of violent death—12.2 male homicides per 100,000 compared to 3.3 for women (7).

Suicide:
Male suicide rates are more than triple: 10.4 per 100,000 men vs. 3.0 for women, showing a major gap in mental health outcomes and support (8)(9).

Workplace:
In 2022, 89.21% of reported workplace accidents involved men. Just 10.79% involved women, underscoring men’s prominence in dangerous labor sectors (10).

Conclusion:
Senegal must recognize these growing disparities and act to support the mental health, safety, and futures of its men and boys.

The International Council for Men and Boys is a non-governmental organization that is working to celebrate the contributions of men to society and to end the 12 sex disparities that affect men and boys around the world. Achieving #GenderEqualityForMen also will benefit women. https://www.menandboys.net/

Links:

  1. https://genderdata.worldbank.org/en/economies/senegal#:~:text=44.7%25%20of%20girls%20and%2034.1,education%20regardless%20of%20age%20completed.
  2. https://www.iicba.unesco.org/en/senegal#:~:text=Schooling%20does%20not%20imply%20learning,progress%20to%20the%20next%20levels.
  3. https://data.unwomen.org/country/senegal
  4. https://www.statista.com/statistics/971206/life-expectancy-at-birth-in-senegal-by-gender/
  5. https://genderdata.worldbank.org/en/indicator/sp-dyn-amrt?gender=male
  6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_child_labour_rate?utm
  7. https://apps.who.int/violence-info/country/SN/
  8. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.STA.SUIC.MA.P5
  9. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.STA.SUIC.FE.P5
  10. https://www.leral.net/Economie-Mille-cent-quarante-trois-accidents-du-travail-denombres-au-Senegal-en-2022_a351635.html?utm