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International Women’s Day: Why educating girls should be a priority for Arab states
This International Women’s Day, Arab leaders across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), along with their partners in the international community, must reassert the right to education for every child—especially for girls.
Current efforts fall short for far too many girls and young women. More targeted initiatives, funding, research, and advocacy for education for girls and women in MENA should be among the top priorities of the Beijing +20 meeting next week and MENA’s post-2015 development goals.
Educating girls and women is one of the best investments Arab states can make in their social and economic well-being.
A girl who goes to school is less likely to marry early and more likely to delay childbirth and have healthier children. In Arab states, a one-year increase in maternal education is associated with a 23 percent decrease in the number of children under the age of five dying from pneumonia—the largest killer of children under 5 years.
As more countries in the Arab world are embroiled in conflict, it is also important to consider the role that educating and empowering women can play in establishing peace and security.
Yet, despite the benefits, Arab countries have one of the highest gender inequality rates in the world, second only to sub-Saharan Africa. A review of education data from 2000 to 2012 provides some insights.
Source: www.brookings.edu