Girl Power

Growing up with three brothers has (admittedly ironically) led me to like ‘boys’ even more. They possess an element of simplicity. A self-assuredness. A conviction. It’s charming. That being said, thank heavens for ‘girls.’ Last week I read Greg Mortenson’s second book Stones Into Schools and for the first time fully digested the potential for women to drastically impact our social, political, and economic quality of life. “Simply put, young women are the single biggest potential agent for change in the developing world – a phenomenon that is sometimes referred to as the Girl Effect” – Greg Mortenson. Wow, bold statement.

The data speaks for itself. A number of studies conducted by the World Bank and The Council on Foreign Relations demonstrate that investing in girls’ education boosts a community’s income growth, farming productivity, and women’s empowerment while decreasing malnutrition and the fertility rate. One major conclusion strikes me as I read that list of improvements: women (perhaps more so than men) utilize their education to directly benefit the family and their community. Their resources are immediately reinvested in continued social and educational development. It’s a win win.

One of the more discouraging things that I have read about higher education in developing countries is that often, these countries and/or communities lose their most well-educated demographic to already developed nations. With a strong education and an eagerness to see the world, many of these nations’ best and brightest leave the country to pursue work in other areas where they can enjoy more freedoms. Can you blame them? However, while I haven’t any data to back this up, I would guess that educated women are more likely to return home. I’m not sure whether it’s due to the matronly/care-giver gender role that women have developed over the centuries or what, but it’s sure hard to ignore the direct social impact generated from women’s education. It’s more like a springboard for the overall health and education of their families and local communities.

If you don’t know anything about Greg Mortenson or his mission throughout Pakistan and Afghanistan, look him up. It’s an inspiring story and one that will make everyone cherish their education, however little or much he/she has. So cheers to education in all corners of the world to men and women alike, and cheers to the important balance that our differences create.