Why is education for young women so important?
Educating for girls:
- Combats poverty as women earn better incomes.
- Helps combat the effects of the caste system.
- Increases life expectancy. With a female literacy rate of only 30%, the state of Uttar Pradesh has the lowest life expectancy in India.
- Decreases the number of child brides.
- Helps women marry educated husbands. In India, a woman’s education has become as important as the traditional dowry of the past.
- Leads to better health for mothers and children, helping to lift families out of poverty.
- Results in the children of educated mothers also attending school.
- Gives girls math skills to help run family farms and businesses.
- Promotes economic and social development and political stability.
- Promotes civic participation by women, who advocate for better health, education, and protection of children.
(See more information from the World Bank here.)
10th grade girls in class at GMV.
College-level science students with visiting professor/engineer Walt Johnson.