Women's History Month - March 2023
By Catherine Davis
March is Women’s History Month and at Equal Education we believe that understanding and assisting women in their fight for equality is crucial to forming a better society for young people to live in. Education plays a key role in the discrimination against women around the world. Worldwide, there are 15 million girls who will never have the opportunity to read or write. In comparison, 10 million boys share the same struggle. As an educational company, we want to spend women’s history month acknowledging and celebrating the many women who have impacted global education in a positive sense.
A young woman’s chance of success increases greatly for each additional year of education she receives post-primary school. Yet around the world, young girls are denied these opportunities to better their lives and the lives of their families. Women who receive an education are less likely to be forcefully married at a young age and are less likely to face domestic violence and sexual assault. Education increases women’s feelings of autonomy, so much so that each year of schooling can be associated with a 1-percent increase in the ability to decline a partner’s requests to engage in sexual activity. Furthermore, the increase in women’s education leads to a decrease in child and maternal mortality. Women who receive an education will also earn a higher income and contribute to the national economy on a greater scale.
Despite the benefits a women’s education has on both the woman and her community, there are currently 129 million girls out of school, often due to gender inequality. Some families are more likely to send their son to school over their daughter because it is seen as a better investment. Many girls are forced to work instead of receiving an education and some will be prevented from learning based on the poverty they come from.
Young girls excluded from school are later excluded from the world. The Campaign for Female Education (Camfed) claims that “[a] girl excluded from school becomes a woman excluded from all sectors of society”. Women deserve a place in our society and they require an education to maintain this place. A woman without an education will be unable to participate in the governmental systems that dictate their daily lives, will rely on others as the primary breadwinner, and will often be forced to stay at home, fulfilling the roles of mother and wife.
Women’s history month should serve as a reminder of the women who came before and started blazing a trail for us in the future. The advantages we have in a nation where women are allowed to attend school can help push us and the world forward. As we celebrate this important month, let us remember the progress that has been made and the progress which still needs to be made, as we envision a future of true gender equality where no girl is withheld from school.
