A Global Perspective

http://www.aacu.org/ocww/volume40_2/feature.cfm?section=1

The article above addresses the educational struggle that girls face throughout the world. Nelly Stromquist analyzes the different roles that girls portray depicting on their living location. The benefits that girls obtain from attending school include: lower child mortality and illness, greater education for offspring, and higher participation in the work environment. 

Almost all countries have made the full advancements for providing girls the equal right to attend school and extracurricular activities, except in sub-Saharan Africa and South/West Asia. In these particular areas of the world girls are not yet exposed to the educational lifestyle that others are allowed. Instead, they spend their days gathering food and water and taking on the roles of caring for the family. Sadly one in five in a group between these two countries do not get a school education, in relation to a total of 54 million girls not attending a primary or secondary school. 

Unfortunately, the girls that DO get the privilege to attend school become victims of sexual harassment performed by their fellow friends and instructors. Clearly experiences such as sexual harassment can cause extreme fear, anxiety and low self-esteem in individuals. 

On top of the harassment, Stromquist addresses the lack of resources that certain other countries lack and do not provide for their students. Does this seem accurate? The countries that flourish oppose to the ones that struggle have more economic and educational advances that allow them to appropriately provide for their students more accordingly. Just like here in the United States where the children in the families that are more well off and financially blessed have a higher chance of affording/attending a private school or ivy league college. 

 It breaks my heart that girls not only were excluded from school, but responsible for taking care of the family when they should be learning their academics and other tools that'll help them in the future. Not only that, but the few that did get to experience an education were taken advantage of and harassed. It's sad that some people still live like this. I thought we made improvements to women's equality? I can imagine that the girls that endured such traumatizing experiences never wanted to return back to school. Nonetheless, despite all of the challenges that girls have to overcome, they exceed higher in their academics than their fellow male classmates.