WUNRN
By Paul Stephens | March 14, 2013
Last October, the world was shocked and horrified when Taliban gunmen attacked
a 15-year-old Pakistani girl whose only offense was demanding an education.
After Malala Yousafzai was shot in the back of the head as she was making her
way home from school, the world’s attention became focused on the harsh
realities for girls in parts of
At a UNESCO-sponsored event to show
solidarity with Malala in December, Michelle Bachelet, the head of UN Women and
former president of Chile, remarked, “A girl’s right to a life of opportunity,
of dignity, of freedom from violence, and of a voice in her society are all at
risk when she cannot go to school.”
“Education is protection against threats to her future—early marriage and
pregnancy, HIV infection, poverty, and domestic and sexual violence,” Bachelet
added. “Education is an opportunity to fully participate in society and build a
better future.”
Globally, an estimated 35 million girls are missing out on primary school, and
37 million girls are not enrolled in lower secondary school. The horrific
attack on Malala has become a rallying point for those demanding that nations
around the world ensure that all girls and boys are able exercise their rights
to a basic education.
Closing the
educational gender gap is one of eight Millennium Development Goals that the UN
aims to achieve by 2015, along with universal primary education for all
children. So far, two-thirds of all countries have closed the gender gap at the
primary level, and in 2010, the proportion of girls in secondary schools
reached 48 percent.
Yet women make up more than two-thirds of the world’s illiterate population.
And signs of progress belie some more troubling statistics on the country
level. In
In fact, a study just released by UNICEF and UNESCO—the UN agencies responsible
for improving the lives of children and education programs,
respectively—concluded that gender inequality and a dearth of educational
opportunities are particularly apparent in the DRC. Decades
of conflict and poverty, combined with a lack of governmental investment in
education, have resulted in over 7.3 million children between ages 5 and 17
being unable to attend school.
UNESCO has supported a number of projects around the world to help countries
lower the barriers that keep girls out of school. In
To address this problem, UNESCO is working to create safe spaces for Ethiopian
girls in schools; involve boys in promoting girls’ education; and build the
confidence and life skills of girls who are making the tough transition from
primary to secondary school, while encouraging them to identify obstacles to
their completion of secondary school.
Meanwhile, UNESCO’s Education for All and the UN Girls Education Initiative,
both launched in 2000, have worked with governments around the world to help
them fulfill their responsibilities so that every child receives an
education.
Research has shown that countries’
investment in girls’ education pays broad dividends across many areas of a
society. According to the UN Development Programme (UNDP), there exists a
strong correlation between gender equality measurements and a country’s ranking
on the Human Development Index. Economists have also found links between
increased female educational attainment and lower child mortality rates,
increased success in school for the next generation, and increased economic
growth for the society at large.
Terra Lawson-Remer, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and a team of
fellow researchers released a study last year that revealed a strong
correlation between gender equity and broader social and economic rights
fulfillment.
“Improving gender equity in itself may be a goal with clear, intrinsic value,”
Lawson-Remer wrote. “However, a substantial body of research now suggests that
gender equity and the achievement of other development goals, such as health,
education, social and economic rights fulfillment, and even growth, are
inseparable.”
In some ways, it is not surprising to find such deep interconnections between
gender equality in education and the general well-being of the economy, not to
mention society as a whole. More educated women mean more educated workers.
More educated mothers are more likely to immunize their children and send them
to school. Women who can read are less likely to be isolated and more likely to
contribute ideas to the community.
But despite the common sense appeal of educating girls, gender barriers have
proven difficult to overcome in many cases. Poverty often forces families to
choose who has the opportunity to go to school and who must provide an income
for the family. Gender stereotyping can discourage girls from studying math or
science. And physical violence in schools, including sexual violence, remains a
scourge that hinders girls’ attendance. Addressing these underlying barriers
has become central in the effort to ensure that countries are able to achieve
their commitments.
As the 2015 target date approaches
for achieving the MDGs, the connection between gender equality and development
outcomes is becoming even stronger. Many in the development world are looking
at how to build upon the gains that have been made and expand the scope of
gender equality and empowerment in creating post-2015 goals for sustainable
development.
That discussion continues this week at the 57th Commission on the
Status of Women in
By prioritizing gender equality, experts hope that future goals better address
the root causes of gender discrimination. While education for girls has proven
to be a powerful force for contributing to their broader empowerment, the world
has recognized that—as Malala’s example tragically illustrated—the struggle for
gender equality in education and elsewhere is far from over.