Poverty, patriarchy, and place: modeling the barriers to female secondary education in Somaliland

Female secondary education is central to human development, yet attainment remains limited in fragile settings. This study examined the associations of household wealth, early marriage, residence, partner education, and region with secondary-or-higher educational attainment among ever-partnered women aged 20–29, using the 2020 Somaliland Health and Demographic Survey birth-recode dataset (multivariable regression n = 1,441).After weighting, only 10.4% of women attained secondary or higher education. Household wealth emerged as a primary determinant: women in the fourth and highest wealth quintiles had substantially higher adjusted odds of attainment (adjusted odds ratios of 27.14 and 68.04, respectively) relative to the poorest quintile. Conversely, marriage before age 18 was associated with 57% lower odds of attainment (AOR = 0.43, 95% CI [0.23, 0.79], p = 0.007). Geographic disparities were evident, with women in Sahil, Togdheer, and Sool showing significantly lower odds than those in Awdal, whereas urban residence was not statistically significant. Partner education showed a positive association, likely reflecting educational matching rather than a causal effect.These findings underscore the critical need for targeted financial support, early marriage prevention, and region-tailored educational interventions. Because the dataset excludes never-partnered women and those without recorded births, results cannot be generalized to all young women in Somaliland.