The Empowerment of Women and Girls Through Education

There are still parts of the world where education is not a right or even an expectation. In these areas, the education of females is often at the bottom of the list of priorities. Empowering women and girls through education doesn’t just benefit the learner. It has consequences for so many other areas of life, including the economic prosperity of a country.

Barriers to education for women and girls

There are still 130 million girls not in education who should be. The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) estimates that, “15 million girls of primary school age will never get the chance to learn to read or write”.

There are various reasons women and girls are not getting the education they deserve. Families may struggle to send some or all of their children to school due to their financial situation. Poverty or culture might mean that girls are married off early, put to work, or considered not worth educating. In countries where there is violence and conflict it can be dangerous to send girls to school. There may be a lack of schools or infrastructure, or the school environment itself might be unsafe. Teachers may not be properly trained and their teaching or learning materials can reinforce gender biases.

Recently we have seen that school closures due to both the Ebola outbreak of 2014-2016 in West Africa and in 2020-2021 for the COVID-19 pandemic can lead to girls not returning when they reopen. This could be because they have been given extra household duties and the incidence of unplanned pregnancies also rose in lockdowns.

How educating women and girls empowers them

Educating women and girls gives them the opportunity to reach their full potential. It equips them with knowledge and opportunities that they would not have without it. Not only does education help improve lives on a personal level, but it also helps on an economic level for a country too.

A report by the Regional Coordination Group on SDG4 in West and Central Africa

Gender Equality and Inclusive Education Task Team says that a 1% increase in the number of girls going to school can give a 0.3% increase in economic growth. Future wages can go up by 15-20% by having a secondary education. There’s a reason the Worldbank considers girls’ education to be a “strategic development priority”.

Educating girls and women means they are more able to make informed decisions about their lives, their bodies, and their futures. Educated females are less likely to get HIV and are more likely to get good healthcare. They are less likely to become a victim of child marriage. This in turn slows population growth as they are likely to have fewer children. They are also more likely to deliver their babies in a healthcare setting which impacts child health and mortality and protects future generations.

What is being done to educate women and girls?

The United Nations Strategic Development Goal (SDG) 4 addresses education and gender inequality. It seeks to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’, by 2030. Many agencies are working towards this.

We at ABMA Education are strong supporters of the education and empowerment of women. Educating and empowering women and girls must be a priority and we are proud to be a part of the movement.