The Fight for Girls’ Education Everywhere
Roma Bhavsar
July 2024
Gender disparity in education
Access to education is a basic human right that every woman should have access to. Despite clear evidence showing how important girls’ education is for progress and growth, differences between boys’ and girls’ education continue to exist and girls are still being denied their right to a quality education. There is still a lot of work to be done globally to achieve equal education for all despite the barriers that exist among countries and communities. While countries have pledged to provide education for every child, less than half of all countries worldwide have achieved gender equality in primary education. [1]
According to UNICEF, globally over 129 million girls are not attending school. This translates to 32 million girls in primary school, 30 million in lower-secondary, and 67 million in upper secondary not receiving education. Girls in conflict-affected countries are over twice as likely to be out of school compared to those in peaceful countries. Only 49% of countries have gender parity in primary education. This number drops to 42% for lower-secondary and 24% for upper-secondary education. [1] Furthermore, as of 2024, Afghanistan is the only country where women and girls face restrictions on education. They are banned from education beyond primary school (sixth grade). It is reported that this ban impacts over one million girls in Afghanistan. [2]
Obstacles that exacerbate the education gap between girls and boys
Various obstacles and barriers prevent girls from getting an education or a proper one, and these challenges differ from one country and community to another. Gender stereotypes that confine women to gender-normative family roles create significant barriers to girls getting a good education. Society often expects girls to take on domestic duties such as cooking and cleaning, assuming they will rely on men financially. This stereotype also means boys’ education is often seen as more important because they’re expected to be the sole earners for the household. [3, 4]
Laws and policies in many countries also hinder girls’ education rights. Even rules that seem fair often end up excluding girls because of socially adopted norms. For example, some laws allow child marriages or state that pregnant girls cannot attend school. This restricts girls’ freedom and keeps them from getting an education. Additionally, those who marry at a young age are more likely to drop out of school or complete fewer years of education. According to a 2017 report, more than 41,000 girls are married each day. To put this into perspective, ending child marriage could lead to attaining higher education, earning high wages, and can generate more than 500 billion in benefits each year. [3, 4]
Furthermore, financial problems and poverty keep girls from going to school. Poor families often cannot pay for things like school fees or uniforms. Parents might also prioritize boys’ education, thinking it will give them better jobs. When schools are far away from home, especially in rural areas, girls have an even harder time attending. They might have to do household chores like getting water or childcare, which can keep them out of school. [3, 4]
Violence plays a big role in girls not completing their education. In countries affected by conflict, fragility, and violence, the education gap is much wider. Girls in these countries are 2.5 times more likely to be out of school than boys. At the secondary education level, girls are 90% more likely to be out of school compared to those in more stable countries. In addition, data shows that girls face the risk of being sexually assaulted when just walking to school. What’s more troubling, pregnancies resulting from assault or violence compound this problem. Unfortunately, pregnant girls often face stigma and discrimination causing many girls to drop out of school and not return. [3, 4]
What does this all mean?
Quality education is a necessity that fosters numerous benefits not just for girls but for their families and communities. As a society, we must invest in girls’ education because women help lift economies in addition to promoting gender equality and building healthier communities. [5] Denying girls and vulnerable groups’ education is a severe form of discrimination that limits an individual’s ability to succeed and build prosperity for entire countries.
Malala Fund, Too Young to Wed, Mercy Beyond Borders, and WomenOne are just a few of countless nonprofit organizations, support programs, and charities that work to promote girls’ education, help low-income families cover schooling costs, and provide girls the tools they need to take control of their lives.
We must use our voices to promote education and eliminate the continuing disparities that prevent universal access to education such as systemic inequalities, oppression, and discrimination. Education is vital for learning about the world we live in and every effort should be made to empower girls to write their own stories rather than having others write them for them.
References
[1] UNICEF. (2019). Girls’ education. UNICEF. https://www.unicef.org/education/girls education
[2] Afghanistan’s school year starts without more than 1 million girls barred from education by Taliban. (2024, March 20). AP News. https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-school-year-girl education-ban-df1a1d722353db006e1a2650a1e12c36.
[3] TheirWorld. (2017, July 26). Why girls around the world are still denied an equal chance of education. Theirworld. https://theirworld.org/news/why-girls-are-still-denied-equal-chance-of education/.
[4] The World Bank. (2022). Girls’ Education. World Bank. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/girlseducation.
[5] Malala Fund. (2016). Girls’ education | Malala Fund. Malala.org. https://malala.org/girls education.
