Education For All

On March 8, we celebrate International Women’s Day, but if two-thirds of the 774 million illiterate people in this world are female, then why do we continue to possess a notion of gender equality, when it is practically nonexistent? In an era of feminism, education is power, and it helps millions of girls realize the true potential they possess. Sadly, in developing countries they are prohibited from going to school, because it could empower them to break the ideals of becoming only a wife, and a mother. My understanding was that developing countries experienced a belief of subordination for females, but when women are paid 79 cents on the dollar in the United States, for working the same hours as men, I realized that these ideologies are international. Gender inequality is real, and it starts out as a lack of education for millions of females in developing countries. Without school, women do not have the skills to work, resulting in poverty for the generations to come. Education allows these women to make their own decisions, and influence change among their communities. This necessity is the only solution to ending our pay gap issue, but we must first start with a positive outlook towards gender equality, and only then can young girls strive to educate themselves, and change the world.

– Siya Sharma (10th Grade Student, Santa Clara, CA)

(To leave comments, please click on the title at the top)