Ensuring that all girls and young women receive a quality education is their human right, a global development priority, and a strategic priority for the UN.

Achieving gender equality is central to the twin goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity. Education projects should be gender-sensitive, and work to overcome barriers that are preventing girls and boys from equally benefiting from countries’ investments in education.

Girls’ education goes beyond getting girls into school. It is also about ensuring that girls learn and feel safe while in school; can complete all levels of education, acquiring the knowledge and skills to compete in the labour market; gain socio-emotional and life skills necessary to navigate and adapt to a changing world; make decisions about their own lives; and contribute to their communities and the world.

Both individuals and countries benefit from girls’ education. Better educated women tend to be more informed about nutrition and healthcare, have fewer children, marry at a later age, and their children are usually healthier, should they choose to become mothers. They are more likely to participate in the formal labour market and earn higher incomes.

A recent World Bank study estimates that the “limited educational opportunities for girls, and barriers to completing 12 years of education, cost countries between US$15 trillion and $30 trillion in lost lifetime productivity and earnings.” All these factors combined can help lift households, communities, and countries out of poverty.

The Challenge

According to UNESCO estimates, around the world, 129 million girls are out of school, including 32 million of primary school age, and 97 million of secondary school age. 

Globally, primary, and secondary school enrolment rates are getting closer to equal for girls and boys (90% male, 89% female). But while enrolment rates are similar – in fact, two-thirds of all countries have reached – completion rates for girls are lower in low-income countries where 63% of female primary school students complete primary school, compared to 67% of male primary school students.  In low-income countries, secondary school completion rates for girls also continue to lag, with only 36% of girls completing lower secondary school compared to 44% of boys. Upper secondary completion rates have similar disparities in lower income countries, the rate is 26% for young men and 21% for young women.

The gaps are starker in countries affected by fragility, conflict, and violence. In such countries, girls are 2.5 times more likely to be out of school than boys, and at the secondary level, are 90% more likely to be out of secondary school.

Both girls and boys are facing a learning crisis. Learning Poverty measures the share of children who are not able to read proficiently at age 10. While girls are on average 4% points less learning-poor than boys, the rates remain very high for both groups. The average of Learning Poverty in in low- and middle- income countries is 55% for females, and 59% for males. The gap is narrower in low-income countries, where Learning Poverty averages about 93% for both boys and girls.

In many countries, enrolment in tertiary education slightly favours young women, however, better learning outcomes are not translating into better work and life outcomes for women. There is a large gender gap in labour force participation rates globally. It is especially evident in regions such as South Asia and the Middle East and North Africa.

Gender bias 

Within schools and classrooms may also reinforce messages that affect girls’ ambitions, their own perceptions of their roles in society, and produce labour market engagement disparities and occupational segregation. When gender stereotypes are communicated through the design of school and classroom learning environments or through the behaviour of faculty, staff, and peers in a child’s school, it goes on to have sustained impact on academic performance and choice of field of study, especially negatively affecting young women pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines.

Poverty 

Is one of the most important factors for determining whether a girl can access and complete her education. Studies consistently reinforce that girl who face multiple disadvantages — such as low family income, living in remote or underserved locations or who have a disability or belong to a minority group — are farthest behind in terms of access to and completion of education.

Violence 

Also prevents girls from accessing and completing education – often girls are forced to walk long distances to school placing them at an increased risk of violence and many experience violence while at school. Its estimated that approximately 60 million girls are sexually assaulted on their way to or at school every year. This often has serious consequences for their mental and physical health and overall well-being while also leading to lower attendance and higher dropout rates.

An estimated 246 million children experience violence in and around school every year, ending school-related gender-based violence is critical. Adolescent pregnancies can be a result of sexual violence or sexual exploitation. Girls who become pregnant often face strong stigma, and even discrimination, from their communities. The burden of stigma, compounded by unequal gender norms, can lead girls to drop out of school early and not return. 

Child Marriage

Is also a critical challenge. Girls who marry young are much more likely to drop out of school, complete fewer years of education than their peers who marry later. They are also more likely to have children at a young age and are exposed to higher levels of violence perpetrated by their partner.  In turn, this affects the education and health of their children, as well as their ability to earn a living. Indeed, girls with secondary schooling are up to six times more likely to marry as those children with little or no education. Its reported that more than 41,000 girls under the age of 18 marry every day. Putting an end to this practice would increase women expected educational attainment, and with it, their potential earnings. According to the report’s estimates, ending child marriage could generate more than US$500 billion in benefits annually each year.

MinorityU acknowledges Education is the key factor for women empowerment, prosperity, development and welfare. Discrimination of women from birth is well known. There is continued inequality and vulnerability of women in all sectors and women oppressed in all spheres of life, they need to be empowered in all walks of life.

In order to fight against the socially constructed gender biases, women must swim against the system that requires more strength. Such strength comes from the process of empowerment and empowerment will come from the education and other initiatives funded by donations from organisations such as MinorityU to drive support to charitable organisation dedicated to providing necessary support.