WUNRN
SAUDI ARABIA - HIGHER ILLITERACY FOR
WOMEN - FAR FEWER GIRLS IN PRIMARY SCHOOL.
22
August 2014 - Saudi Arabia - Women account for 60 percent of illiterate
residents in the Kingdom, according to studies conducted by the Central
Department of Statistics & Information.
Almost 730,000 women cannot read or write, according
to the study. More than 426,000 men, by contrast, are also illiterate.
The study also found that women account for only 17
percent of the total number of doctoral degree holders and less than a quarter
of the 166,500 master’s degree holders.
The study, however, found that women account for 72
percent of master’s degree holders in the 20 to 24-year age bracket, showing
promise among young female graduates.
Around 1,217 women who secured doctoral degrees are
in the 30 to 34-year age group, slightly outnumbering men in the same age
range.
Around the same number of teens from both genders are
illiterate.
Astonishingly, almost 15,000 boys and girls in equal
measure cannot read or write in 15 to 19-year age bracket despite enhanced
educational initiatives.
The study also found that age and illiteracy among
women were directly proportional, with more women being illiterate in older age
groups.
Almost 13,000 women in the 20-24-year age bracket are
illiterate, compared with just over 10,000 men.
In addition, around 41,000 women do not know how to
read or write in the 75 to 79-year age bracket versus 30,000 men in the same
generation.
Around 2 million men have completed university
education in the Kingdom, compared with only 1.4 million women in the same
category.
The study also found that there were 10 times as many
young boys going through primary school compared with girls.
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