Why gender in education?

Through education, girls are empowered with basic health knowledge which can help them to better take care of themselves and others. Educated women have better reproductive health, including a reduced risk of contracting HIV.

Girls’ education is associated with increased family and community resilience to extreme weather events and natural disasters. Educated girls are empowered to support peacebuilding and recovery efforts following a conflict or crisis. 

Educated women tend to have smaller, more sustainable families. Their children are more likely to be healthier, wealthier and better educated. Girls’ education creates a positive cycle, with the power to transform societies and change the world. 

In times of crisis, communities often face loss of livelihoods and displacement. Increased poverty means girls are at higher risk of child marriage. Violence or attacks on schools may cause parents to withdraw girls from school to protect their safety. 

The high cost of education is a barrier to learning for the most marginalized girls. Although education is a powerful investment, the direct costs of school fees, and the indirect costs of girls’ education, are an impossible hurdle for too many families.

Millions of girls globally are married before the age of 18. Early marriage often prevents girls from completing their education and can lead to early pregnancy. If all girls completed 12 years of education, early marriage and pregnancy would decrease significantly.

The world is facing a learning crisis. Although more children are enrolled in school than ever before, too many are failing to achieve basic numeracy and literacy. Low-quality education can prevent learners, and girls in particular, from getting the knowledge and skills that they need to fulfil their potential. 

Poverty is one of the greatest barriers to girls’ education. Research shows that girls facing multiple forms of marginalization caused by disability, minority ethnic status, and living in a remote or rural location, are most likely to be the furthest behind in accessing and completing their education. 

School-related gender-based violence (SRGBV) is commonly experienced and perpetrated whilst learners travel to and from school, in and around school grounds and in cyberspace. SRGBV often worsens in conflict or crisis-affected contexts violating the rights of children to safe, quality education.