Why Does Empowering Women Matter So Much - Coursework Example

Do you agree that the ability to read and write is crucial for women’s empowerment? Introduction Women with no educational background lack self-sufficiency, thus being dependent on welfares and charities. Most women are less self-confident because of their inability to support themselves fully. Many opportunities that are denied to them also divest them of the achievement pride which lead to social, psychological and mental problems. Empowering women means encouraging and developing self-suffiency skills, mainly focusing on eliminating future charity or welfare needs (Robinson-pant, 2004, p. 95). I agree that reading and writing is crucial for women empowerment because of the reasons discussed below. Empowering women means moving them from forced powerlessness to powerful positions. Reading writing is an essential way of empowering women with skills, knowledge, and self-confidence that are necessary for them to fully contribute in development processes. Reading and writing is a vital way of empowering women today with skills, knowledge, and self-confidence that are necessary for girls and women to participate fully in the developmental processes. Knowing how to read and write is important for everyone, but more significant for girls and women. This is because not only education is an opening point to many opportunities, but also because learning achievements of young girls and women can have greater effects within the family unit and across many generations. Investing in girl child education is the most effective ways of poverty eradication. Investments girls’ secondary school education for example will have high dividends returns in future because they are expected to marry later and have small and healthier families. Educated women know health care importance and how to look for it for themselves and their families. Reading and writing helps girls and women in knowing their rights and gaining self-confidence in claiming them. Women’s mental development is enhanced by reading because it stimulates eyes’ muscles. Reading involves higher concentration levels and adds to the informal skills of women. It is a chance that enhances the information acquired, constantly. Reading also helps women to decode new words and phrases that they encounter in daily conversations. Reading habit can turn into a healthy addiction and adds to general information available in a variety of topics. It helps women to stay in-touch with modern writers and make them responsive to global issues. However, in most developing countries literacy rates of women are much lower than men’s which has remained a major challenge in poverty eradication. This is because its believed that schools, powerful and significant positions are not meant for women but for men. Improve children’s performance. Parents education especially women is concurrent to their children's performance, because their education is more often significant than the father's. This is because many women spend much time with their children unlike men. Women can thus influence their children’s major behaviours and general skills. Statistics show that Hardworking and independent women are likely to transfer the same skills to their children. A learned mother's better influence in family negotiations may let her to secure more possessions for her family. Educated women are more expected to be in the employment force, giving them a chance to pay some schooling costs, and may be more informed of schooling returns. And educated women, averaging fewer children, can focus more concentration on each child. In addition to having fewer kids, learned women are less expected to have ill-timed or unplanned births. This has implications for education, because unfortunate parents must often decide which of their kids to educate. Improved mobility and interaction African women are used to the belief that women should interact less and only remain indoors taking care of their children and cooking for their husbands. This reduces women self esteem because they see themselves as being less superior that men in their day to day interactions. Through proper reading and writing, women are able to improve on how they interact with other people especially men in the working industry. They contribute an equal share as women to general economic development of any country. Education helps women to be more mobile and interactive in financial institutions such as banks, governmental organizations as well as NGOs. Women are willing to be part of many different groups initiated to empower women. This all initiatives are beneficial to country’s general growth and development. Changes in women's labour patterns. Many African women perform tasks that are cumbersome and tiresome, that’s not healthy for their conditions because they are more vulnerable to diseases. African women are used to the belief that their role is only to cook, look after children and other activities and take of their husbands. For example in sub-Saharan Africa, women spend to about 40 billion hours in one year collecting water. This hinders them from other important roles like employment opportunities. This also exposes them to early deaths or premature births, physical and psychological health problems. Education has however changed all in the fact learned women know that their roles are diverted to their homes and employment sector where they can work and earn a living like men. Education empowers women in knowing that they have equal right and men are also required to take an active role in supporting and taking care of their children. Women are involved in more active role that are more beneficial to any country and boost the general economic development thus increasing the G.D.P, leading to greater levels of disposable income which improves individual’s livelihood. More resource control In the past years, women were not allowed to own any property because owning or inheriting property was seen as only men rights. This led to discrimination and denial of women’s rights’. Today more women have been thought on how to acquire and control their own resources. Learned women have a greater control of their resources compared to women who are not educated. This is because learned women are thought how gain access to finances and how to control them thus leading to their empowerment. . Better decision making In African culture and many other cultures across the world, men are the key decision makers. Women are only allowed to make decisions on matters concerning food preparations, and other minor issues while men make major decisions on issues like financial decisions. Reading and writing helps in women participation in male-headed household decision-making in issues such as household assets disposal, children’s education, credit or loans and general family healthcare which is crucial for women empowerment. Gender equality Many young girls and women are still discriminated against in most countries across the world. They are denied access to basic facilities as education, finances, health care etc. African countries believed that girls were not suppose to be in school and they thought that they role was to give birth and take care of their homes. Most young girls were driven off from school and married off at younger age. This was all because women did not know how to read and write thus having lesser powers in protecting themselves against such abuses. Today women’s empowerment and gender equality is focused on not only as a human right, but also since they are path to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and long lasting development. Reading and writing coordinates worldwide and national hard work to incorporate women empowerment and gender equality into poverty eradication, independent governance, crisis avoidance and recovery, and environment growth. According to global data, only 39% girls in rural areas attend secondary school. This means that majority of girls in rural areas stay at home after completion of their primary education which encourages them to early marriages or unplanned pregnancies. Many progresses have been made to reduce the gender gap in rural primary schools enrolment. This is mostly done through informing parents on importance of girl child education. Education ensures that women voices are heard in all supremacy institutions, from the judiciary to the social service and in private sectors, so they can contribute equally as men in unrestricted dialogue and persuade the decisions that will decide on their families’ and countries’ future Rural development Women literacy rates in rural areas are lower compared to that of men, women continue facing more difficulties than men in employment sector, social protection, accessing public services and markets due to beliefs and cultural norms, safety issues and not having identification documents. Thus there is need for reading and writing skills o empower them. This has been aided by foundation of adult literacy programmes in many countries across the world. Functional Literacy is a powerful tool for rural women empowerment, mainly if they apply their new reading and writing skills. Most women view adult literacy lessons as playing and significant role for their empowerment and in eradicating poverty and reducing their ignorance. Most acquired knowledge and skills .Is on how to control pests; modern farming techniques, how to get better hygiene and sanitation at the home and nutritional care of children (immunization, breastfeeding and balanced diets) this improves women’s self confidence thus empowering them. Reading and writing is particularly helpful for women in controlling their farming enterprises, especially savings and loans involved. This is however faced with many challenges. For example studies also show that illiterate, husbands tend to discourage their wives to attend literacy classes because they fear losing control at the family level. When rural women are empowered, general G.D.P of a country will be improved especially in African countries that are dependent on most agricultural products for daily living and income (Swai, 2010, p. 91). Economic development House wives don’t contribute much to her country’s economy. If they are not earning, it means they are not taxed, but they will still enjoy public facilities that are offered by the government, financed by other tax payers. And this is what drives African countries behind by creating drag on economic growth. Taking for example the West and Far East where young girls and women are empowered, their countries have a great pool of learned people where everyone contributes to economic growth. Less education for women leads to slow general economic growth in Africa (Varghese, 2012, p. 67). In developed countries where both parents are working and earning, they have happier families, their children are healthier happier and go to better schools compared to most under developed countries where women only depend on their husbands. As seen in this case therefore, reading and writing is crucial for women’s empowerment which leads to economic growth. Technological development The growing internet access has allowed many women to empower themselves by use of different tools on the Internet. World Wide Web help women in using social networking sites for example Twitter and Facebook for online activism. Online activism allows women to empower themselves by voicing their views and organizing campaigns that promotes equality without feeling exploited by society members of society (Klaveren & Tijdens, 2012, p. 213). For example, there was an online campaign on May 29, 2013 initiated by 100 female advocates that forced the top social networking site, Facebook to deactivate various sites that extended hatred and encouraged gender inequalities. This is all as a result of enhancing reading and writing skills in women, because without this women will not be able to access the internet and various opinions concerning them. In ancient periods women had less access to information and internet but today many women and girls have been empowered by the introduction of affordable and more accessible electronic learning that enable women to do their studies anytime, anywhere even from their homes. Through technological empowerment women develop their skills gain new knowledge which promotes global development (Robinson-pant, 2001, p. 73). This is also another strategy for development and growth to any country that values girl child and women education. Increased self awareness Majority of African women are less aware of their rights, duties and obligations. This has encouraged their discrimination and abuse because they don’t know how to protect themselves. A strong emphasis is placed on that enables girls to develop wider awareness about themselves and their external surrounding. Through this women can be able to develop their own social situations awareness and gain confidence and improve on their self esteem (Harries, 2000, p. 128). With self confidence women will be able to hold strong positions that are much powerful and relevant for other women empowerment. Women are encouraged to participate in life techniques and awareness-improvement workshop that include girls and women's rights, economic development and reproductive health. To enable them hold strong positions in their respective countries Though women account for a large population in the world, they hold fewer positions in their respective countries, e.g. parliamentary seats. This because many belief that men are better performers than women, a myth which is not true. Many young and innovative women have been denied a chance to exercise their rights and deliver their skills in performing various tasks. However in most cases it’s because these women have no skills, knowledge and confidence to hold various senior positions. With educational skills and corporate leaders support and through partnerships between private and public sectors, more women will be able to be elected to hold strong positions in local governing entities. Women however cannot hold strong positions in their countries if they have less self-confidence and skills (Agnaou, 2004, p. 29). All these honourable positions given to women will be gained through proper knowledge and educational background, thus the need to educate more women for self empowerment and also to empower and encourage other women. Seeing beyond local governments and other public entities, women have greater roles in economic development. For example former U.S Secretary Clinton has initiated many efforts to boost economic expansion by creating more opportunities for women globally and strengthening their entrepreneurial skills. In countries like China, only 20% of women are represented as Chinese entrepreneurs, but they have high potential of empowering more women through education, for continued economic expansion. Countries that develop and encourage woman’s education are more likely to have higher economic benefits compared to those countries that discriminate against girl child education and women welfare Conclusion Empowering women can boost economic growth of any country, endorse peace and promote development and social justice. Girls and women need to be seen as agents of change so as they participate to social, economic, and political development in their respective countries and also have equal access to education, health care and services, political positions and employment. List of references AGNAOU, F. (2004). Conceptions of literacy and related issues’, in Gender, literacy, and empowerment in Morocco, New York: Routledge. BHASKARA RAO, D., & LATHA, D. P. (1999). International encyclopaedia of women. New Delhi, Discovery Pub. House. HARRIES, J. (2000). Women, literacy and reproductive health: women attending a day hospital in the western cape, Addis Adaba: OSSREA (Organization for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa). KLAVEREN, M. V., & TIJDENS, K. (2012). Empowering women in work in developing countries. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan. ROBINSON-PANT, A. (ed.) (2004). Women literacy and development: alternative perspectives, Abingdon: Routledge. ROBINSON-PANT, A. (2001). Exploring the link between women’s literacy and development’, in Why eat green cucumbers at the time of dying? Women’s literacy and development in Nepal, Hamburg: UNESCO Institute for Education. SWAI, E. V. (2010). Beyond women's empowerment in Africa exploring dislocation and agency. New York, Palgrave Macmillan. VARGHESE, J. (2012). Women empowerment through literacy campaign: role of social work. New Delhi, Concept Pub. Co. Read More