Why Is Girls’ Education in South Asia Discouraged?

Girls’ education in South Asia is discouraged because of long-held beliefs and cultural norms. Throughout the region’s history, different religious and political systems contributed to the views on women, especially the views on widows. Women came to be known as a financial liability for families who would have to pay a dowry for them to marry. In general, women are seen as not adding to but taking away from a family’s stability. All of these views influence the lack of education for girls.

If a family is struggling to make ends meet and must make choices about expenses, they will forgo school fees out of necessity. Girls become caretakers of the home and siblings so that parents can work. Or worse, they start to work far too young or become a child bride. Their choices and future expectations are often limited. Little girls don’t know how to dream of what they will be when they grow up.

Yet, this tide is shifting. The government and activists in South Asia have worked to change this. In 1951, female literacy rates in South Asia were only 8.9%. By 2011, those rates reached 65.46% and are still rising.1 This commitment and partnership between government and nonprofit work is paying off.


Click here, to read more about this article.

Click here, to read more blogs in Gospel for Asia.Com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Our Attitude Towards Suffering

Image
In 2 Timothy 2:3, the Apostle Paul writes to Timothy, “Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” Everyone, at some point or another, faces suffering, the soldier especially. However, it is not so much what we suffer, but how we suffer that matters. The way our heart responds to suffering is crucial, because by it we will either advance or become stagnant. To suffer like a good soldier is to willingly endure all for the sake of the call. To suffer like a bad soldier is to grumble when difficult situations and hardship arise. Instead of throwing our lives into what God has called us to, we can try to hold on to our lives, wanting to get away with as little suffering as possible, paying as little price as possible. We have forgotten that we are under the orders of our Master and that we willingly gave up our lives. Christ’s Example of Suffering Christ lived with the expectation of suffering. Throughout the Gospels, He repeatedly referred to
Read more

What Is the Poverty Cycle?

Image
The question, “What is the poverty cycle, or cycle of poverty?” is one that must be answered to address and end poverty across the globe. Put simply, the term refers to the trend where the vicious effects of poverty and deprivation pass from one generation to the next, with no seeming way out. [1] Someone born into poverty has fewer opportunities than their wealthier peers. They must focus on survival above all, leaving little room for anything else. One illness can wipe out a family’s savings, but the unclean water sources and lack of protection available to them invite sickness. Walking to retrieve water can be time-consuming yet must be a daily priority, and many children must work alongside their parents for the family to afford food. Thus, school is often a far-off dream. Having had few opportunities to acquire skills, the kids grow up to repeat the cycle of poverty with their own children. This story was all too familiar for Nalah. His father worked in the tea fields, trying to e
Read more

What Are the Physical Effects of Poverty on Children?

Image
Many organizations have undertaken the task of studying the multifaceted effects of poverty on children, revealing alarming statistics. According to UNICEF, a staggering number of children – around one billion – grapple with multidimensional poverty, which deprives them of access to fundamental essentials like basic nutrition and clean water. Equally concerning is the fact that 356 million children live in extreme poverty, surviving on less than $2.15 per day. This article delves into the comprehensive and lasting physical repercussions that poverty inflicts on children, from the prenatal stage to adolescence, emphasizing the significance of addressing this issue head-on. Even before a child is born, poverty exerts its influence. Madison Doser, associated with the American Human Services Association, underscores that malnutrition during pregnancy carries the potential to induce long-term health disparities in children. Notably, this can manifest in conditions such as obesity, diabetes,
Read more