Educating Girls in the Developing World
Education, Economic Independence and Communal Growth
Sep 20, 2009
International Organizations like the World Bank and the United Nations have focused on educating girls and young women as the primary catalyst for economic growth and stability in the developing world.
Why girls?
According to the World Bank, girls' education "yields some of the highest returns of all investments" in the developing world. Even though girls are fed less than boys and more often removed from schools, girls have the power to bring about meaningful changes in their communities when they become educated and economically independent. The major obstacles standing in their way are child marriages and gender traps.
Child Marriages and Gender Traps
The impact of poverty on girls and young women is dramatic in developing countries. Poverty denies girls the chance for economic self-sufficiency. In countries where youths live on less than $2 a day, poverty pushes young girls into child marriages. These girls become mothers before 18; many die from pregnancy and labor complications.
Gender traps emerge when girls are forced to become the care-takers of families burdened by AIDS and poverty. In AIDS affected countries, girls are often withdrawn from school to care for sick relatives and family members. Many become the orphaned heads of family dependents. Orphaned children left with the responsibility of caring for younger siblings often become victims of treachery and abuse.
Education, Infant Mortality and Economic Independence
The more education a girl receives the less likely she will become a child wife or child mother. Early marriages and pregnancies prevent young girls from being educated, limiting her lifetime learning and earning potential.
In a recent study sponsored by the Nike Foundation and the World Bank, researchers showed that early pregnancy in young girls costs Kenya $500 million US; investing in girls' education, however, would add $3.2 billions to its economy.
Educated girls also become better mothers. A direct association is seen between the mother's education level and infant mortality. Educated mothers are more likely to have her child vaccinated and seen by a doctor when problems arise.
Most significant of all is the economic power higher education places in the hands of young women who have the skills to understand the wording of a contract, sign for orders or access credit to start an independent business.
Education and Stable Communities
According to Plan International's "Because I am A Girl" 2009 report, an extra year of education increases a girl's future income by 10 to 20 %, but only 5-15% for boys.
Why would investing in girls' education yield such high returns?
The reason is that educated girls tend to make personal benefits communal, thus extending the possibilities for further growth and returns. Expansion in women's labor force and earnings have translated into widening circles of economic and social stability. Matriarchies or leadership based on woman power are often nurturing and community oriented.
First of all, a mother's education is replicated in her children's initiatives. Children, especially girls, with an educated mother are more likely to seek similar opportunities and achievement . Each additional year of formal education attained by the mother means longer retention in school for her children.
According to Christiane Amanpour's recent CNN program on education initiatives in Afghanistan and Pakistan, educated mothers provide the most promising strategy for the war against terror. The more educated the mother, the less willing she is to send her sons to terrorist training camps and the more avid her pursuit of formal education for her children.
It seems that universal education for girls is fast becoming the most viable and effective solution for gender equality , economic independence and growth in the developing world.
Source:
Scrivener, Leslie ."How Can You Save the World? Start with Her." Insight Section. Toronto Star, September 19, 2009, IN3-5.
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