The Global Education of Girls
By Saaya Maru, ’27
Malala Yousafzai wrote “One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.” Education should be available to everyone; however, in parts of the world, young girls are denied the right to education due to societal and cultural barriers that many cannot overcome. 73 million girls across the world are uneducated compared to 67 million boys. This inequality is due to forced early marriage, poverty, or simply discrimination due to their sex. Even though boys may face similar issues, girls are disproportionately affected since some view it as more important for a boy to go to school than a girl. Girls are least likely to receive an education in some southern Asian and African countries. In Guinea, for example, the average education time of women is under one year, and in Ethiopia, two out of five girls under the age of 18 are married. Adolescent marriage often means that young women are forced to do chores in their homes to care for their husbands which does not allow them to receive a proper education and pursue their dreams. Other countries have similar policies in place to restrict the education of girls, such as having 80 girls in a class room, forcing them to drop out at an early age and teaching young women how to do housework instead of preparing them for their futures. Lacking a proper education severely limits opportunities for women. Uneducated women have far less opportunities in their career because they seem to lack credibility, experience, knowledge and competency which decreases the probability of finding work, receiving promotions and getting paid a high salary. Limiting education sets women up to be less successful in their future careers, which makes it hard to be economically stable throughout their lives. Many girls eventually face seemingly insurmountable obstacles caused by a lack of education, such as discrimination and poverty, making it more difficult for girls to pursue their passions and help others.
A documentary that brings this inequality to light is Girl Rising. This award winning film told the stories of 9 girls from all over the world who fought for their education. The stories from Girl Rising were written by local journalists in each girl’s country, showing their true stories and who they really are. The documentary reveals statistics on how education impacts women and the opportunities that they have. Gender discrimination impacts girls and women from all over the world. In the documentary, girls from Cambodia, Afghanistan, Haiti and a myriad of other countries, share how pressure from governments, families and friends makes it difficult to stay in school and maintain a future career. Seeing the disparity of the education of the boys and girls and how much work that these children had to do to go to school shows how important education was in these young lives and their futures. The girls were pushed back and punished by boys, neighbors, and even family members who believed that educating these girls was a waste of their time. One of the most meaningful lines from the documentary was “Educated girls are a powerful force for change.”Any girl who is properly educated can change the world and make it a better place for all of us. Girl Rising showed the amazing stories of these girls and how they created change using the power of their voice and their education.
As an informed school, we need to start collaborating with groups and governments of other countries to break down barriers to girls’ education. Educating girls all over the world allows them to create a better future for themselves, their families, and the community they live in.
Bibliography
10 Toughest Places in the World for Girls to go to School. Accessed October 29, 2023. https://givingcompass.org/article/10-toughest-places-in-the-world-for-girls-to-go-to-school.
13 Reasons why Girls are not in School. Last modified October 11, 2017. Accessed October 29, 2023. https://theirworld.org/news/13-reasons-why-girls-are-not-in-school.
Yousafzai, Malala. Speech, The United Nations, July 12, 2013.
Girl Rising. Directed by Richard E. Robins. 2013.
