Education and it's importance to society

David Hamblin with the first group of "Granny Charlotte's Girls.
Photo Credit: No Poor Among Us

The value that is added to society when women and girls are educated is unsurpassed. Women make up half of the population and therefore are very important in family life, the business world and the community (Kristof, N., & WuDunn, S.). Access to education is a basic human right and has been shown to break the cycle of poverty and will also help improve the quality of life for children, communities and countries (Kristof, N., & WuDunn, S.). Worldwide there are about 122 girls that lack educations for every 100 boys (Kristof, N., & WuDunn, S.).  This in turn contributes to two-thirds of the 781 million illiterate adults being women (Kristof, N., & WuDunn, S.).

          Sheryl WuDunn has a great quote, “When you educate a girl, there is a ripple effect that goes beyond what you would get from a normal investment…when you educate a girl; you educate a village (Kristof, N., & WuDunn, S.).” Women and girls who are educated are more likely to delay marriage, have fewer and  healthier children, and use reliable family planning methods (Kristof, N., & WuDunn, S.). Formal education also helps empower women so that they feel more self confident to become active and help make decisions within their home, and want to be a stronger part of their communities (Kristof, N., & WuDunn, S.). It is also a proven fact that educated women will encourage their children to attend, remain in school, and gain higher education which will contribute to a generational poverty reduction (Kristof, N., & WuDunn, S.). 

          According to the United Nations, and the Millennium Development Goals, number two is Achieve Universal Primary Education (The United Nations). This is a goal not just for girls but for boys as well. They have seen a huge jump in literacy in places like that Africa and Asia from 1990-2011 (The United Nations). Northern Africa went from 68 percent to about 89 percent, and Southern Asia jumped from 60 percent to 81 percent, there has also been a narrowing of the gender gap in these areas (The United Nations). Many times poverty is a huge factor when it comes to children being uneducated. People who come from poor households are three times more likely to be without an education (The United Nations). Around the world about 123 million youths lack writing and reading skills, 61 percent of these youths are in fact women (The United Nations).

          One of the most powerful tools to help reduce the occurrence of HIV/AIDS is girls’ education. A study in Zambia proved that AIDS spread twice as slow among girls with access to education (Kristof, N., & WuDunn, S.). With the help of the Millenium Development Goal number 6, there is an attempt to provide a more comprehensive knowledge of HIV transmission among young people (The United Nations).  Those with an education are also less vulnerable to sex trafficking and forced prostitution (Kristof, N., & WuDunn, S.). 

          Unfortunately even though there is so much positive information about women and girls getting an education there are still barriers (Kristof, N., & WuDunn, S.). Such as male children being seen as a priority; in many cultures it is the son whose educations seems like a much more long term investment (Kristof, N., & WuDunn, S.). There is also the fact that many families believe that a girl will make a larger impact to the family by staying at home and helping with the domestic duties (Kristof, N., & WuDunn, S.). Another huge factor is that in many developing countries there is a large distance between villages and schools, this creates the danger of girls being harassed or even raped and many schools do not cater to females (Kristof, N., & WuDunn, S.). They do not provide appropriate bathrooms and many times girls are faced with hostile school environments (Kristof, N., & WuDunn, S.). Overall, educating women puts twice as many skilled people out in the world and that simply could not be a negative thing, so breaking down these stereotypical walls, and helping girls become further educated is in all of our best interests.






References:
The United Nations. (2014). Millennium Development Goals and Beyond 2015. 
Retrieved from http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/education.shtml

The United Nations. (2014). Millennium Development Goals and Beyond 2015. 
Retrieved from http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/aids.shtml

Kristof, N., & WuDunn, S. (n.d.). Half the Sky Movement. 
Retrieved from http://www.halftheskymovement.org/issues/education

Kristof, N., & WuDunn, S. (2010). 
Half the sky: Turning oppression into opportunity for women worldwide.

Empowering Mozambican Women: Feminine Hygiene

One of the greatest concern in Mozambique is the fact that many girls discontinue their education due to lack of feminine hygiene resources. Through our interdisciplinary class composed of geography, women's studies and dance, we students are learning about the cultural, socio-political, and demographic aspects of Mozambique. In an attempt to enhance the quality of life among the women and girls who reside in the rural areas in Mozambique we have designed and created washable menstrual pads and fabric bags to be utilized by the girls while they are on their monthly periods. Completing this project has included creating a pattern, finding the appropriate fabric, cutting, and sewing. We will also be creating "wet bags" which are bags to hold used pads so that women and girls can attend school and work without any worry about washing the pads right away or packing them around freely. A secondary part of the project will be to collect underwear so that the women will be able to use the pads that will be given to them.

Furthermore, we are putting together a booklet with information regarding the female reproductive system, menstruation and it's purpose in life; prevention of urinary tract infections; and proper use of the washable menstrual pads.  The menstrual cycle and anatomy sections of the project consist of a packet with pictures and Portuguese translations explaining how the female body and menstrual cycle works. We are hoping it will improve the view on what is considered in some cultures to be "dirty". We chose this project because the girls in Mozambique have the tendency to abandon their education because  they do not have the proper hygiene aids to assist them during their menstrual cycle. As a result, many of them do not return to school. According to the CIA World Factbook, only 43% of women in this African country are literate in comparison to the 71% of males. 

Our goal is to provide the Mozambican girls with information and skills so that having a period will not be an impediment to their education. Additionally, the group members traveling to Mozambique in May will not only be taking a good number of washable napkins, but teaching the girls how to create them. This project has provided us with the great sense of fulfillment because it is our hope to be an impact that can help girls remain in school. As they get a higher level of education they can become pro-active within their communities. 

This project also has a positive environmental impact component because it will help decrease the amount of waste produced due to the fact that cloth pads typically last five years and also cut down on factory pollution because they can be made locally and simply without using harmful chemicals or traditional factory methods. Through this opportunity we have learned collaboration skills and the importance of humanitarian work which will enhance our lives professionally and personally. 

Example of the washable pads we're creating, along with the wet bag.

Feminism in the USA.

      Quoted in chapter three of Gender and Sexuality for Beginners is Estelle B. Freedman, who says feminism is "a belief that women and men are inherently of equal worth" (Garbacik, 2013). I think this is the best definition of feminism that I have ever heard. People like to turn the term feminism into a dirty word or a derogatory word to describe "man hating lesbians" but this definition really helps you see the bare bones of the cause and the fight. 

      Feminism isn't a new idea by any means, it is something that first emerged during the anti-slavery movement in the 19th century (Walters, 2005). I was surprised to also learn that women even though women earned the ability to participate in the national vote in 1919 (Walters, 2005)  they couldn't serve on an American jury until 1975 (Garbacik, 2013). It is also pretty saddening that it has been almost one hundred years that women have been fighting in the publics eye for equality and we still have not reached a finish line, especially socially.

      One social aspect that makes me believe that feminism still has a very long way to go is religion, now I am not a religious person but as I see news or hear people talk about their own religions it causes me to believe that while people are framing their lives with certain belief systems that may better their lives in some ways it puts a damper on their opportunities in other ways. When women are put in a place where they are only supposed to get married, reproduce, and stay subordinate to their husbands it is very difficult to break loose and make your own mark in the world! Sure, who wouldn't want to stay home with their small child and tend to their every need personally? I know I would, but we shouldn't limit ourselves, education is key, and being in charge of your own life is key. Plus your child will grow up seeing you as a role model, advocating college and independence, thus creating a generation which is that much more advanced than the last. 

      Even with everything that I have read, watched and learned so far in my journey of Feminism, I personally found it shocking, as would many other people that Sheryl WuDunn states that Gender Inequity is one of our biggest problems in the 21st Century (WuDunn). Once your personal needs are met the best way to elevate your happiness to to be part of a cause that is bigger than yourself (WuDunn). This is so true and a great example of why feminism is so important, especially for those of us that truly have the means to help others by being born privileged, mostly by just being born, or raised within the United States (WuDunn). I believe even as we progress into the future that feminism will be important, especially as we provide LGBTQ individuals with more equality. We just need to keep in in the front of our minds that we are are of equal worth-regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, gender, gender identity, or any other identifying feature that people try to separate people based on. Humans are humans and we have to keep fighting the good fight to prove that, ever improvement no matter how small is still a step closer to the end goal. 

References:

WuDunn, Sheryl. "Our century's greatest injustice." TEDTalks. 

AUG 2010.

Garbacik, Jaimee. Gender & Sexuality For Beginners. 1st ed. Danbury, CT: For Beginners LLC, 2013.

Walters, Margaret. Feminism: A Very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press Inc., 2005.

Violence and Women

   

      We've created a culture that promotes violence against women, this breeds a belief within women that they are inferior or "less than." In turn this creates a false sense of justification for the violence and perpetuates the cycle. 

      When people hear the word "violence" they think about a person being physically injured, but violence can be verbal, mental, or emotional. Initiating a rumor, threatening, or causing distress can be as detrimental, or even more detrimental than physical injury. The term 'violence,' for the sake of this paper will encompass any and all actions perpetrated against a person or persons with intent to cause physical, mental, or emotional harm. 

      Human beings have a tendency to look the other way when it comes to violence, and in so doing, pass that behavior on to the next generation. I think the most popular statement in this situation is, "oh well that's their culture." (Bunch) There is a sort of invisible line when it comes to what we perceive as a persons culture, that line tells us "beyond this point lies the core of who someone is, and you have no right to challenge it." This mentality makes us complicit in the violence. (Bunch) I really liked Charlotte Bunch's explanation saying that, "culture is not something to be preserved but should evolve," (Bunch). She also mentioned that people see culture in a formal matter, "big C" when in reality every single thing that surrounds us helps build our personal cultures, "little c" (Bunch). This means that each one of us has the opportunity to change and shape the culture around us and with opportunity comes responsibility.

      It's important when examining this issue to remember that it isn't taking place in a lab; this is taking place in the real world and it's not just one group that is affected. Jackson Katz did an amazing job of explaining how the dominant group sometimes gets looked over (Katz). The word gender causes people to think "woman," the words sexual orientation causes people to think "gay" or "lesbian". When in all reality men and straight people are included in those terms (Katz). Though women may be the largest target in sheer numbers when it comes to gender/sexuality based violence, by addressing the problem at large, we can reduce violence for all groups. 

      Speaking of sexual orientation, Cynthia Rothschild brought something to my attention that I never really considered, that women, who are looked down upon to begin with have it even harder when they come out as lesbian (Rothschild). That is two levels of "different" that sometimes people don't understand or don't think of them as equals and it can make it even harder and scarier to stand up for what you think is the right or standing up for yourself in violent situations (Rothschild). 

      Violence against women, and by extension, other minority groups, causes a snowball effect of cultural bias. Women are abused, so it must be that they are inferior, if they are inferior, then they are worthy of abuse. This type of thinking stifles creativity, talent, and ambition creating a self fulfilling prophecy that perpetuates itself. Only by ending the cycle of violence can we create an environment wherein women are comfortable to be their whole selves, to reach out, to take a risk, to enter an arena they may otherwise not. In short, a system of violence crushes the proverbial soul and without fulfilled souls, a person, regardless of gender cannot even attempt equal participation in modern life, let alone achieve it. 

References

Bunch, Charlotte. "Intersection between culture and violence against women." CWGL. Rutgers, Aug 2008. Speech.

Katz, Jackson. "Violence against women, it's a men's issue...." TedX. May 2013. Speech.

Rothschild, Cynthia. "Violence against women based on gender identity and sexuality." CWGL. Rutgers, Aug 2008. Speech.