Is Education The Key For Global Empowerment - 1053 Words

Is Education the Key to Global Empowerment? Unlike what is the case in the US, globally primary education is far from a guarantee. Every year, millions of children are going uneducated, stripping the intellectual capacity of many impoverished nations. No segment of the global population does this more acutely effect than girls. While many societies feel a strong cultural push educate boys, the same pressures are often absent when it comes to girls. Insert link to article on Michelle Obama Why is this important? Increasing access to education not only increases the intellectual ceiling of a region, but it has the power in revolutionizing the lives of millions. Each additional year of schooling will increase future wages of an†¦show more content†¦Contrast this to other areas of the globe where entire segments of the population are not allowed to drive, vote, travel, or even work. Their agency is dramatically restricted due to a host of governmental and cultural structural issues. I have been aware of this issue for some time now by gleaning information through isolated news articles and speakers. I must admit, however, I did not understand the full scope of the problems faced by this universal underclass of citizens until I read the book Half the Sky, written by married New York Times reporters Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. I picked up this book on the recommendation of my girlfriend and found myself unable to put it down. Insert picture of book The book is an account of the wide range of structural issues faced by women in third world nations. The couple has traveled the globe as reporters and share their findings along with a list of action steps they believe should be taken. They did a phenomenal job both in detailing the horrors faced by women around the world and also the reasons to be optimistic about a brighter future. There is no need to mince words, women across the globe are subject to horrible, unthinkable situations: rampant human sex trafficking, forced child prostitution, honor killings, public gang rapes, genital mutilation, hunger, childbirth complications, lack of access to medical care, and lack of