Problem and Causes of Gender Inequality in Africa

One predominant barrier that hinders girls from receiving an education is safety and violence within their environment. In many African countries, girls face the issue of walking a far distance from school, being located in a war zone, and suffering from domestic violence. For example, if there is not a school close to home, the majority of girls will not enroll and the slim amount of girls who do enroll in school will most likely drop out. Furthermore, parents of these girls worry that about their dangerous journeys to school which could lead to abduction, harassment, or sexual assault specifically by government and extremist groups (Relief Web, 2018). Another issue that arises is the unsafe location of the school which may be subject to damage or possibly destroyed due to combat. As a result, approximately 49% of women become refugees and are forced to flee from their homes according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Lastly, violence within a girl’s household usually starts with an intimate person such as a partner, father-in-law, or father. In fact, the World Health Organization found that about 75% of women were sexually or physically abused by a spouse since the age of fifteen in more than ten countries (Unite for Sight, 2018). Given these points, girls at a young age encounter several hazardous events which make it extremely difficult to obtain an education.

 

As previously mentioned, this problem mostly affects girls who are in war-stricken or developing countries but the issue also stems from cultural norms which varies country to country. In particular, cultural norms could include the acceptable age to be married or gender roles within a household. Thus far, the United Nations has created “Agenda 2063” which outlines Africa citizens’ aspirations for the future. In this plan, they state that, “All forms of gender-based violence and discrimination (social, economic, political) against women and girls will be eliminated and the latter will fully enjoy all their human rights. All harmful social practices will be ended and barriers to quality education for girls eliminated.” One cause that is written in the agenda to carry out this mission is to “support young people as drivers of Africa” which details their plan on investing in every girl’s education (United Nations, 2018). Therefore, the UN has begun to collaborate with the African Union to provide a clear outline of their goals and how they plan on achieving this in the near future.

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13 reasons why girls are not in school on International Day of the Girl Child. (2017, October 11).

    Retrieved October 2, 2018, from Relief Web website: https://reliefweb.int/report/world/

          13-reasons-why-girls-are-not-school-international-day-girl-child

Agenda 2063. (n.d.). Retrieved October 2, 2018, from United Nations website:

    http://www.un.org/en/africa/osaa/peace/agenda2063.shtml

Explore ideas. (n.d.). Retrieved October 2, 2018, from UNICEF website: https://www.unicef.org/

    teachers/girls_ed/barriers_02.htm

Girl's education. (n.d.). Retrieved October 2, 2018, from The World Bank website:

    https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/girlseducation

Kimotho, J. (2017, June 19). The role of education for women and girls in conflict and

post-conflict countries [Blog post]. Retrieved from Global Partnership for Education website:https://www.globalpartnership.org/blog/Role-education-women-and-girls-conflict-and-post-conflict-countries

Violence and domestic violence in developing countries. (n.d.). Retrieved October 2, 2018,

from Unite for Sight website: http://www.uniteforsight.org/gender-power/module3

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Poverty

Faith Ausfresser

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Poverty is an issue in many countries which leads to girls and women facing extreme challenges throughout their everyday lives. As a result of these challenges, they do not have the ability to receive the education that they deserve. Shockingly, a young girl in South Sudan is more likely to die while giving birth than to finish their studies in primary school. ("Girls and Women - Africa Educational Trust”). Furthermore, over 80% of farmers in Africa are women and over 40% of women are not capable of reading or writing due to a lack of education (Sen, 2017). In comparison to males, high poverty hinders girls from receiving an adequate education, or an education at all. As a result, they are forced to stay in traditional roles as mothers and housekeepers or are married off at an extremely young age. Often, families support young marriages since they too benefit from the money that comes with “bride prices.” In addition, proper facilities are not provided in many schools and limited government money leads to funds solely being invested in the education of boys and men. On top of this, in Somalia and some parts of Kenya, Female Genital Mutilation is still being practiced ("Girls and Women - Africa Educational Trust").

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However, poverty is a continuous cycle which will not be fixed if nothing is done to change the current situation. Organizations who provide funding to give communities adequate resources to an education are aiding women and children in gaining the power of knowledge; hence, this assists them in escaping this vicious cycle. “Healthy, educated girls with equal access to opportunities can grow into strong, smart, women who can take on leadership roles in their countries.” When a woman receives a quality education, they could accomplish tremendour goals such as President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf who is “fighting against ebola in Liberia”(Diop, 2015). In short, if every country received the funding to provide an education to all children, boys and girls alike would break the cycle of poverty.

 

Diop, M. (2015, January 29). How Empowering Women Can Help End Poverty in Africa.

Retrieved October 01, 2018, from http://blogs.worldbank.org/nasikiliza/how-empowering-women-can-help-end-poverty-africa

Girls and Women - Africa Educational Trust. (n.d.). Retrieved October 01, 2018, from

https://africaeducationaltrust.org/girls-and-women/

Sen, P. (2017). Http://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jhss/papers/Vol. 22
Issue3/Version4/L22030498104.pdf. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 22(03), 105-111.doi:10.9790/0837-220304105111

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Lack of Sanitation, Water, & Food

Emily Weis

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The lack of basic sanitation for women, specifically in Africa is very detrimental not only to women’s health but also to their education. Unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and lack of hygiene are causing children to miss many days of school. Most women without sanitation are forced to leave school once they reach puberty and menstruate because there are no facilities or sufficient resources available to help them. Those who do stay often miss class, which makes it very difficult for girls to succeed in the classroom. Girls are reluctant to go to school when toilets and the facilities are not private, safe, clean or available (Lack of Safe Water and Sanitation in Schools...2010). Women who have improved sanitation facilities are able to succeed and work more productively. This situation is unfair because every child has a right to be in a school that offers safe water, healthy sanitation and hygienic education. This issue most prominently affects women and children in developing countries.

 

Providing better water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in schools will protect girls’ rights to education (WASH and Women, 2003). UNICEF’s objective is to make changes and to realize the full benefits of water and sanitation services. These objectives cannot be met without the full participation of women. UNICEF aims to promote equal rights of women and to ensure that women are involved in the management of water supply and sanitation programs. In addition, another program called Lifewater “strives to provide entire communities with education on disease transmission, effective latrine construction, operation and maintenance, as well as changing social attitudes and behaviors towards proper waste disposal in the hopes of bettering the lives of billions” (Sanitation for Women: The Problem and Solution, 2017).

 

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Lack of safe water and sanitation in schools affects children’s learning – and their lives. (2010, April 5). Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/media/media_53234.html

Sanitation for Women: The Problem and Solution. (2017, June 27). Retrieved from https://lifewater.org/blog/sanitation-for-women/

WASH and Women. (2003, April 30). Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/wash/index_womenandgirls.html

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Child Marriage

Meghan Henry

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Pervasive throughout most of Africa, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, is the practice of child marriage and early pregnancy among young girls, which contributes to the gender gap in education throughout the continent. Worldwide, more than 700 million women alive today were married as children, and 17% of them, or about 125 million, live in Africa (Girls Not Brides). Within sub-Saharan Africa, approximately 39% of girls are married before the age of 18. Early marriage is a practice for various reasons, but most girls are married off due to gender discrimination, tradition, and poverty. Many families marry off their young girls because they believe that marriage will give their daughters the opportunity to be supported by someone with more resources, and a way to be kept safe (“Ending Child Marriage In Africa”, 2017). Once married, girls abandon their education at a primary or secondary level. For those who could return to their education, many school policies stigmatize or even expel girls that are married. Child marriage is also more likely to occur when quality education is too far, expensive, or unsanitary. Therefore, the various causes of early marriage and its relation to girls’ lack of education in Africa create a cycle that deprives girls of the knowledge and resources to overcome these circumstances.

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World leaders and organizations have recognized that education for girls is key to ending early marriages, and can help reduce its health, emotional, and psychological consequences on young women. These leaders have pledged to end child marriage by 2030 under the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals; however, at current rates, it would take over 100 years to end it in West and Central Africa, where child marriage rates are the highest (Peyton, 2017). However, several regional initiatives have grown over the last few years led by the African Union in 22 different African countries. Additionally, in April 2014, the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) adopted a declaration urging African Union member states to set the minimum marriage age to 18 and to develop and implement strategies to end child marriage. While awareness about this prevalent issue is apparent, and goals have been set, it is clear that more action is needed. By eliminating early marriage in Africa, girls will need to overcome one less hurdle in their pursuit of equality in education.

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Ending Child Marriage in Africa. (2017, February 22). Retrieved October 2, 2018, from https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/12/09/ending-child-marriage-africa

Girls Not Brides. Sub-Saharan Africa - Child Marriage Around The World. Girls Not Brides. Retrieved October 2, 2018, from https://www.girlsnotbrides.org/region/sub-saharan-africa/

Peyton, N. (2017, October 24). 27 African Countries Just Met and Agreed to End Child Marriage. Retrieved October 2, 2018, from https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/african-child-marriage-ending-meeting/

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