The Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women establish That girls might have the chance of a healthier and happier life should be reason enough for promoting girls education. However, there are also important benefits for society as a whole. An educated woman has the skills, information and self-confidence that she needs to be a better parent, worker and citizen. An educated woman is, for example, likely to marry at a later age and have fewer children. Cross-country studies show that an extra year of schooling for girls reduces fertility rates by 5 to 10 per cent. And the children of an educated mother are more likely to survive. In India, for example, the infant mortality rate of babies whose mothers have received primary education is half that of children whose mothers are illiterate. An educated woman will also be more productive at work -- and better paid. Indeed, the dividend for educational investment is often higher for women than men. Studies from a number of countries suggest that an extra year of schooling will increase a womans future earnings by about 15 per cent, compared with 11 per cent for a man.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 21:58:51 +0000