Empowering Women and Girls

CGW4U

Part 1

Education

Education

“When you educate a girl, there is a ripple effect that goes beyond what you would get from a normal investment… When you educate a girl, you educate a village.” Sheryl WuDunn, Half the Sky

Education

Access to education is recognized as a basic human right as well as significant factor in breaking the cycle of poverty and improving quality of life for children, communities, and countries

Why do you think education is so central breaking the cycle of poverty?

Education

Of the approximately 75 million children who are currently not in school, the majority are girls

The gender gap in education is widest in developing countries and countries with strict cultural and religious codes regarding gender roles: For every 100 boys out of school in…

Yemen, 270 girls out of school Iraq, 316 girls out of school India, 426 girls out of school

Education

Why do you think girls are less likely than boys to have access to education? What factors might influence girls’ access to education?

In some communities the majority of girls in a village or town may be uneducated. What impact do you think this might have on the community?

In nations where girls are four times less likely to get an education, how do you think the country might be affected?

Education

“We often have the idea that providing education is about building a school, providing teachers, school books, and it’s so much more complicated than that in an environment of poverty.” Nicholas Kristoff, Half The Sky

To what challenges/complications do you think he’s referring?

Education

What needs to happen to increase rates of female education?

Education

Handout and Assignment

Part 2

Economic Empowerment

Economic Empowerment

“If we empower women we empower society. There is a direct correlation. We are not just changing a life, we are changing a community.” Roshaneh Zafar, Founder and managing director

of the Kashf Foundation

Economic Empowerment

More than half of the world's people live on less than U.S. $2 a day 95% of the population of DRC 68.7% of India

Just under a quarter of the world’s people live on less that U.S. $1.25 a day (int’l poverty line)

81% of Burundi 61% of Haiti

Economic Empowerment

70% of the world’s poor are women and girls Although women play a vital role in the

economic prosperity of their families, communities, and countries, in every part of the world, women: work longer hours than men are paid less for their work are at a higher risk of unemployment are far more likely to live in poverty

Economic Empowerment

Wage inequality and the fact that women do the majority of the world’s unpaid work (housework, care for children and seniors, etc.) means that women earn 5-10% of global wealth The global wage gap is about 16% (ITUC 2008) The wage gap in Canada at about 21% (OECD

2008) Canada ranks 35th in the world in terms of pay equity

(WEF 2013)

Female Earned Income Ratio

Save the Children State of the World's Mothers report (2007 data)

Economic Empowerment

Poverty and an overall lack of women’s rights mean that women own a very small percentage of the world’s land Less than 1% is the common statistic, but this has

been disputed recently as outdated (from a UN report in the 80s)

More recent stat: 15% of land and 1% of land titles (ICRW 2006)

Economic Empowerment

See handout: Poverty and Gender

Empowerment Strategies

What can be done to empower women economically?

Empowerment Strategies

Promote equal opportunities for women in employment and tackle gender-based discrimination in all areas of the public sphere

Support professional development programs that target women and girls and provide leadership training and mentorship

Provide resources and enact policies that support women who are juggling paid work and family responsibilities, and provide support for men, such as paternity leave, so they can take a greater role in child care and domestic tasks

Empowerment Strategies

Increase the number of female entrepreneurs and the size of their businesses by giving them greater access to financial services such as microfinancing, training, technical assistance, and networking to share best practices

Improve women’s access to a range of financial services, including savings, credit, and insurance, as well as to the right to own and inherit land

Increase women’s leadership and participation in economic decision-making bodies at every level

Economic Empowerment

Assignment Part 2