Education of Women and Girls - Research Paper Example

 Lack of access to universal education for girls and women is a of primary concern for the international community. In Sub-Saharan Africa, 12 million girls are unlikely ever to enroll. In Yemen, almost 80 percent of girls out of school may never enroll, thus impeding the increase in universal primary enrollment. According to the UNESCO report (2006), women comprise over 64 percent of the illiteral adults worldwide. Young girls account for the majority of 100 million children worldwide deprived for access to primary education. In twenty-eight countries, there are fewer than nine girls for every ten boys at school (UNESCO, 2010) and only 59 of 176 countries in the world have achieved gender parity in primary and secondary education. Providing women and girls with access does not only contribute to their professional future, but can also be “a key to survival” (World Education 2010). To start with, progress towards gender parity contributes to increases in primary enrolment (UNESCO 2010). Furthermore, educating women and girls results in higher economic productivity, improved family nutrition and health, and increased prevention of HIV and AIDS, thus contributing to the development and economic growth of their communities. Thus, achieving gender equality in education has become a priority for international organisms. Even though gender disparities in education are narrowing, girls still comprise 54 percent of all out-of-school children worldwide (UNESCO 2010). There is still a wide educational disparity between boys and girls in the Arab States, South and West Asia, Central Asia, the Pacific, and North, Western, and Central Africa, with the largest gap in Afghanistan, where only 63 girls are enrolled in school for every 100 boys ((Filmer UNESCO 2010; UNESCO Bangkok; the World Bank ). Furthermore, 80 percent of out-of-school girls in Yemen and 62 percent in Pakistan are unlikely even to enter school, compared with 36 percent of boys in Yemen and 27 percent in Pakistan. The situation is the most dramatic in sub-Saharan Africa, where 12 million girls are unlikely to enroll (UNESCO 2010). In 2007, eighteen sub-Saharan countries had the gender parity index (GPI) of less than 0,90, which meant that they had not achieved the goal of gender parity in primary schooling, set by UNESCO for 2005. There is a strong inverse relation between gender parity and school enrolment; in poor countries with a low enrolment ratio there is usually a large disparity between boys and girls out-of-school (UNESCO 2010). Thus, several developing countries have included strategies to reach gender parity as part of their wider policies aimed to provide all children with universal primary education. The policy measures introduced in Yemen to increase the gender parity index contributed significantly to the increase in enrolment from 2.3 million in 1999 to 3.2 million in 2005. The interventions targeted at out-of-school girls, such as providing girls in grades 1 to 6 with free textbooks and employing more female teachers in rural areas, enabled many girls to enroll, which lead to an increased number of all school children. Furthermore, the example of Pakistan reveals clearly that gender disparities significantly hinder progress (UNESCO 2010). In the North West Frontier Province, 91 schools for girls have been destroyed and 25 severely damaged by Talibans. Consequently many girls, especially in rural areas, are deprived of access to schools near their households. Due to security concerns and household labor demands, few parents decide to enroll their daughters in schools far away from home. This “distance penalty” is responsible for 60% of the gender disparities in enrolments, and is considered the most significant constraint on girls’ schooling. Another problem faced by Pakistani community is lack of qualified female teachers. As a result of low investment in girls’ education, few women have appropriate teaching qualifications. While rural parents prefer their daughters to be educated by women, there are few qualified female teachers available in rural areas. Due to low wages and low quality of life in such provinces as Balochistan and Sindh, it is difficult to attract qualified teachers from other parts of the country to poor, rural neighborhoods. Consequently, many girls in the areas with only male teachers available are left without access to education. These gender disadvantages, together with poverty and regional differences, make Pakistan one of the most affected countries by the global out-of-school problem (UNESCO 2010). Several countries in West Africa have adopted strategies towards gender parity as part of the wider policy aimed to provide all children with access to primary school education. These interventions involved campaigns to communicate parents the importance of educating daughters, financial incentives, such as providing appropriate sanitary conditions, such as separate latrines for boys and girls, recruitment of female teachers, and gender sensitization programs for educators. Initiatives aimed to bring schools closer to communities, like building community schools, have contributed significantly to enrollment of girls in remote rural areas. Gender parity drive in West African countries has played a very important role in increasing an overall enrolment. Moreover, educating women and girls leads to higher economic productivity, thus contributing to the countries’ development and economic growth. In the increasingly open global economy, many foreign investors search for skilled and inexpensive labor from developing countries (Roudi-Fahimi & Moghadam, 2003). Furthermore, elimination and reduction of restrictions on international trade and financial transactions enables the free flow of capital to poor countries, thus enhancing their economic growth. These factors create new opportunities for developing economies, but also increase competitiveness among different countries. The countries with high rates of illiteracy and great gender disparities have fewer chances to participate in global economy. Thus, it is essential to provide women in developing countries with appropriate education and training to enable them to benefit from free trade. Furthermore, an increase in girls’ secondary school enrollment results in women’s increased participation in labor market and, consequently, contribution to household and national income (Roudi-Fahimi & Moghadam, 2003). In the Middle East and West Africa women still comprise only 20 percent of the labor force. The lowest rates of female workforce participation exist in the Gulf Cooperation Council, with only 11 percent of female workers in Saudi Arabia and 12 percent in United Arab Emirates. Given high unemployment rates in these countries, it is difficult for women to compete in male-dominated job markets. Consequently, in many regions women’s unemployment rates are significantly higher than men’s. As an example, in Saudi Arabia, where women comprise only 7 percent of the labor force, the female unemployment rate (16 percent) is more than twice higher than the male rate. The situation is similar in Iran, where the unemployment rate among women is 25 percent, compared with 16 percent for men. Thus, it is necessary to improve the quality of female education and provide women and girls with vocational training. Job-creating programs targeted at women and initiatives aimed to remove obstacles to women’s entrepreneurship can also contribute significantly to lower the rates of female unemployment (Roudi-Fahimi & Moghadam, 2003). Educating women and girls has many benefits for family health. To start with, women with good earning capacity are more likely to provide their families with proper nutrition and health care. In Egypt, the child mortality rate is twice higher for the children whose mothers have not received formal education (89 percent) than those born to high school and college graduates (38 percent). In 2000,75 percent of mothers with a high school or college degree received antenatal care, compared with only 34 percent of Egyptians without education. Thus, educated women were better prepared how to care for their children and for themselves (Roudi-Fahimi & Moghadam, 2003). Moreover, educated women make better use of reproductive health and family planning information and services. Education is the most important factor that determines age of marriage and first birth for women in the Middle East and West Africa countries. According to the Turkey’s 1998 DHS, 22 percent of 15-19 year old girls who had not completed primary education or had never been enrolled in school were either pregnant or mothers, compared with only 2 percent of high school or college students (Roudi-Fahimi & Moghadam, 2003). Women with more education are more likely to obtain information on a wide range of contraception methods and to discuss family planning issues with their husbands (Roudi-Fahimi & Moghadam, 2003) 69 percent of married Egyptian women with a high school degree have acquainted themselves with family planning messages in magazines or newspapers; in contrast, only 32 percent of primary school graduated have had access to this information. In Morocco, women with no education have on average twice as many children as those who have completed secondary school. Children growing in low-income households with many brothers and sisters are less likely to receive proper nutrition and education. Especially girls often leave school to take care of their younger siblings and early marriages are arranged to alleviate the burden of the family (Finne, 2001). In contrast, girls born to educated mothers in smaller families are more likely to have higher levels of educational attainment. Finally, as women are able to choose the number and timing of their births, they become more empowered as individuals, mothers, and citizens (Roudi-Fahimi & Moghadam, 2003). Education enables women to be aware of their roles beyond the reproductive ones and to fulfill their aspirations outside home, including academic and professional objectives. The recent research reveals that educating girls significantly reduces their vulnerability to HIV (UNAIDS, 2005). The review of 113 studies five continents shows clearly that AIDS education in schools is effective in reducing early sexual activity and high-risk sexual behavior. There is a strong link between higher education levels and such factors that lower HIV risk as delayed sexual debut, HIV awareness, fewer sexual partners, and higher rates of condom use. The evidence from eight sub-Saharan African countries shows that women with at least 8 years of education were 87% less likely to have sex before the age of 18 than women who never have been enrolled in school. 15-18 year olds Zimbabwean girls who attend school are more than five times less likely to be infected with HIV than their peers who have dropped out. In Haiti, Malawi, Uganda, and Zambia, girls with a higher level of education have fewer sexual partners. Finally, household surveys in 11 countries reveal that educated women are almost five times more likely to have protected sex and to discuss HIV prevention with their partners (UNAIDS 2005). Furthermore, as education gives women and girls more autonomy and greater economic options, they are more likely to delay marriage and childbearing, have healthier babies, avoid commercial sex, and become more aware of their rights. Women with higher education levels are more independent and better equipped to make decisions concerning their sexual lives, which helps them to protect themselves from HIV (UNAIDS 2005). Such issues as providing all children with access to primary education, enhancing development and economic growth of poor countries, promoting family health, and HIV/AIDS prevention have a great importance on the global scene. Given their strong link with education of women and girls, achieving gender parity in education has become a priority for many international organisms (UNESCO Bangkok, 2010). The UNESCO project Education For All, launched in 2000, sets 6 major goals and 12 major strategies to achieve quality education for everybody by 2015. The goals targeted at women and girls involve provision of all girls, especially those in difficult circumstances, with access to primary education, a 50 percent increase in levels of adults literacy, particularly female literacy, and, finally, elimination of gender disparities in primary and secondary education. Providing all boys and girls with access to universal primary education and eliminating gender disparity also account for some of the United Nations Development Goals, agreed to by all the world’s leading development institutions. Furthermore, the World Conference on Education for All adopts several strategies to meet the basic educational needs of all. The goals and objectives of the World Declaration for All, issued by the World Conference, involve providing universal access to learning, enhancing the environment of learning, and broadening the means and scope of basic education. Finally, the UNESCO convention against Discrimination in Education (1969), which has a great force in international law, does not only aim to eliminate discrimination in education, but also adopts measures to promote equality of opportunity and treatment (UNESCO Bangkok, 2010). It is also important to improve the quality of education, making educational systems sensitive to the specific needs of girls and women (Roudi-Fahimi & Moghadam, 2003). Unfortunately, curricula, teaching materials and media in many developing countries reinforce women’s traditional roles, thus denying women’s rights to participate in the society. It is essential to implement teaching materials that promote girls’ and women’s equal rights and opportunities to fulfill their personal, academic and professional goals and objectives. Governments should include strategies to reach gender parity as part of their national development plans and to monitor constantly the progress towards these goals (Roudi-Fahimi & Moghadam, 2003). It is also necessary to provide low-income families and rural populations with access to education, paying special attention to the quality of education provided. Educating women and girls may not only benefit their professional future, but also contribute to the wellbeing, development, and economic growth of the whole society. References: Filmer, D. (2000). The structure of social disparities in education: gender and wealth, Volume 1. The World Bank Poverty Development Research Group Poverty and Human Resources. Retrieved from: http://wwwwds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/IW3P/IB/2000/02/09/000094946_00012505525066/Rendered/PDF/multi_page.pdf on 10 February 2010 In this paper, the author uses internationally comparable household data sets to investigate the link that connects gender and wealth with country inequalities in educational enrollment. His research reveals that there is a great educational gender disparity in South Asia and Central, North and West Africa. In all these countries gender disparities are further influenced by wealth, and are the greatest in the poorest and rural regions. Finally, the provision of children with access to school in their community significantly increases the enrolment rates. Finne, G. (2001). Feminization of poverty. Geneva: the World Burden of YMCAs. Retrieved from: http://www.ymca.int/637.0.html on 12 February 2010 The author, a volunteer researcher of the World Alliance of YMCA´s, examines different factors that contribute to poverty of women worldwide. She discusses such issues as gender gaps in education, violence against women, health and nutrition, female labor, and single female-headed households. Her research is aimed to inform readers about different factors that influence women’s poverty and to propose solutions targeted at women in developing countries. Roudi-Fahimi, F. & Moghadam, V. (2003). Empowering Women, Developing Society: Female Education in the Middle East and North Africa. Washington: Population Reference Bureau. Retrieved from: http://www.prb.org/pdf/EmpoweringWomeninMENA.pdf on 12 January 2010 This paper, published by the Population Reference Bureau, describes education’s benefits to women, their families, and societies, and discusses concerns about education in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The authors examine education’s links with employment and fertility, which are crucial elements in women’s empowerment. This paper provides readers with significant data on the subject, gathered in several different regions and cultural contexts. It also proposes solutions that may be implemented both by the countries’ governments and international organisms. UNAIDS, The Global Coalition on Women and AIDS. (2005). Educate Girls, Fight AIDS. Geneva: UNAIDS. Retrieved from: http://data.unaids.org/GCWA/gcwa_fs_girlseducation_sep05_en.pdf on 12 February 2010 This article, published by UNAIDS initiative, presents data on the links between AIDS and education, gathered from surveys, studies and reports from several different countries. The researchers focus on Sub-Saharan countries, which are the most affected by the pandemic of AIDS. Apart from providing readers with relevant information on the subject, the article also highlights ongoing concerns concerning gender parity and examines the impact of AIDS on universal access to education. Finally, it describes actions that can be undertaken by schools, national governments, and international partners to both provide all children and youth, especially girls, with universal education, and implement AIDS education in the schools worldwide. UNESCO. (2010). EFA Global Monitoring Report 2010, Reaching the marginalized. Paris: UNESCO. Retrieved from: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001866/186606E.pdf This report examines what children are deprived of access to universal education and describes the reasons of their marginalization. Among other issues, the authors discuss gender disparities in education and their impact on an universal primary school enrollment. It highlights the necessity of including the strategies towards gender parity as a part of wider policies aimed to provide all children with universal education. UNESCO Bangkok, Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education. (2009). Promoting Gender Equality in Education. Bangkok: UNESCO Bangkok. Retrieved from: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001864/186495e.pdf on 10 February 2010 This report, based in Asia-Pacific region, aims to reflect the most recent developments in gender in education. This paper integrates information and tools on gender issues designed by other national and international organizations, providing the reader with a wide variety of materials, adaptable to many contexts and situations. It involves information and materials relevant for policy-makers, project officers, learning material developers, teachers, teacher trainers, gender trainers, researchers, and, finally, everybody interested in gender equality in education. Read More