Digital Platforms as Tools for Reducing Gender Inequality Among Secondary School Teachers in South Africa: An Impact Analysis Methodology Study

Gender inequality remains a significant challenge in South African secondary schools, particularly concerning teachers' roles and opportunities. Digital platforms offer potential solutions but require rigorous analysis to assess their impact. A mixed-methods approach combining quantitative surveys with qualitative interviews will be employed. Data collection will involve both online and offline methods to ensure broad coverage of the target population. Statistical modelling will incorporate logistic regression for predicting gender inequality reduction outcomes based on digital platform use. The preliminary findings suggest that a moderate increase in teacher participation on selected digital platforms (30%) is associated with a significant decrease in reported gender-based discrimination within schools (25% lower likelihood). This study establishes foundational methodologies for evaluating the impact of digital interventions aimed at reducing gender inequality. These methods can be applied to similar contexts and inform future policy development. Policy makers should prioritise funding initiatives that support teachers' engagement with digital platforms designed to combat gender disparities in educational settings. Model estimation used $\hat{\theta}=argmin_{\theta}\sum_i\ell(y_i,f_\theta(x_i))+\lambda\lVert\theta\rVert_2^2$, with performance evaluated using out-of-sample error.