Global Gender Equality

Education is widely recognized as the gateway to economic security and opportunity. In developing countries, particularly for girls and women, education remains elusive. For instance, in many areas of Afghanistan, young girls are often taken out of school once they reach teenage years and are eligible to become mothers. Cultural factors and the reluctance to send girls and boys to the same school after third grade also play a large role of preventing girls from attend school. Furthermore, China’s one child policy has heightened the ratio between males and females. Naturally, 105 males are born for every 100 females. However, the desire to have males has caused an increase of 114 males for every 100 females among children from birth through the ages four years. Similarly, the number of females born and surviving in India is significantly less compared with the number of males, due to the disproportionate numbers of female fetuses being aborted and baby girls deliberately neglected and left to die. Abortion, neglect, abandonment, and infanticide have been known to be more prevalent to female infants. The normal ratio of births should be 950 girls for every 1000 boys, however in some regions the number is as low as 300. In my opinion, creating awarness of the issue, reducing poverty, and giving equal education opportunities from governments and NGO’s is the best way to solve this issue.