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http://www.theinterdependent.com/women-and-children/article/behind-the-global-gender-gap-in-education

Behind the Global Gender Gap in Education

By Paul Stephens | March 14, 2013

 

school-1Thirteen-year-old Barna Momdal lives in a shack on Chetla Road next to the busy and dangerous train tracks of Alipur train station. Every morning she walks the 40 minutes to the Model school with her friends. Credit: Alfred Yaghobzadeh / SIPA. 

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
Pakistan and elsewhere, where attending school is seen as a threat. While most girls around the world have less to overcome in gaining access to an education, major gender barriers persist.

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.

Modest Progress, Troubling Statistics

 

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
Yemen, for example, there are only 62 girls for every 100 boys enrolled in secondary school. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), that number is 58.

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
Ethiopia, for instance, UNESCO, with the support of the Packard Foundation, is working with the government to lower the high dropout rate of girls from secondary school around the age when they reach puberty.

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.  

The Economic Impact of Investing in Girls’ 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.

school-3Kibera is considered the second largest slum on the African continent. It is a threatening environment for children on their journey to school. Elizabeth Atenio (6) walks two hours every day to attend classes at the Kibera School for Girls. Despite the introduction of free primary education in 2003, primary education provision to slum dwellers is still a challenge. Credit: Nichole Sobecki / SIPA.

“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.

Looking Beyond 2015

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
New York. Experts argue that while the MDGs’ focus on gender disparity in education has had a tremendous positive impact, gender equality should be more broadly integrated into future goals for development.

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.