Women’s rights have been an issue since the beginning of time. The gender bias between men and women has always created barriers for all women especially when it comes to education. Lack of equal pay, gender-based violence, and even educational inequity are all examples of those barriers and although numbers have decreased, they are still all issues many women face today. More specifically, girls all around the world face barriers to education for many reasons, the main reason being that many young girls are expected to work and marry at a young age rather than go to school. Unfortunately, this and many other factors shuts the door to their opportunity for an education, luckily there are organizations willing to help and some of them have already made a difference by providing resources and new opportunities for girl’s education  

The following are some articles that go into depth about some of the many barriers “In India, poverty, and lack of education are associated with men’s physical and sexual abuse of their wives” (Mar 2000) Gerstein, L. this author focuses more on how being uneducated can lead to the physical and sexual abuse of their wives. “Men who had little education, those who had more than one child, and those who were extremely poor were more likely than other men to have physically abused their wives”(Gerstein). The following article “Understanding Economic Abuse Through an Intersectional Lens”  (Feb 2019) by Sundari Anitha is broader, it allows room for the more mental and financial forms of abuse in marriage such as financial insecurity and manipulation, she also expresses that a lot of the time married women aren’t allowed to go to school. Something both articles have in common is that they develop their arguments by stating how a lot of married women are controlled by their husbands. They also stress how their arguments can be affected by education.

Although Gerstein claimed that uneducated men are more likely to mistreat their wives, I don’t understand how education could possibly play a role in their abusive behavior, especially toward someone they promised to love in sickness and in health. Gerstein says “Domestic abuse is common in India” therefore I think that the abuse is way deeper than just a lack of education (Gerstein). Anitha’s argument, states that a lot of men take advantage of their wives, I agree more with her because a man can know that their needs will be fulfilled by their wife, and still control them. The third category of abuse mentioned in her article support this statement, it  “relates to men’s purposeful and effective sabotage of women’s attempts to increase their ability to work or study. This includes preventing women from undertaking education or training (Postmus et al., 2012)” (Anitha). These men will even go so far as to sabotage a job interview just so that they can stay in full control, some even like the satisfaction of believing that their wives are nothing without them.

Girls education: facts and how to help by Jasmine Owen (June 2021) is an informational article that specifies the many reasons why there are barriers to education for women all over the world. It also opens the door for many girls that may have never had the chance to excel otherwise by providing basic necessities in their daily lives such as “nutritious food, clean water, access to education and health care.” Another article called Girls’ Education published by The World Bank served a similar purpose as an informational article. By providing financial aid, building schools, providing better transportation methods, and also actively collaborating with the community, they are diminishing the obstacles for girls to achieve an education. Their project has and continues to impact “more than 150 million girls and young women worldwide.” Both articles argue that the barrier to education that girls face is due to poverty, poor infrastructure, and sanitation as well as violence and human rights violations. 

Both these texts also have differences, for example, Girls education: facts and how to help talks about how going to school is a human right protected by the Universal Declaration Of Human Rights, and that no matter where you live in the world education “shall be free” and “compulsory” at least until elementary school. I believe that speaking about this “right” is crucial because this will push people to take the subject more seriously. If outsiders are informed that these countries are violating human rights then maybe they will be compelled to help the cause. But the second article Girls’ Education touches upon how when girls drop out of school it costs these countries more money. A World Bank study estimated that limited education for girls and the lack thereof could cost anywhere between 15 and 30 trillion US dollars. Therefore if women in girls go to and stay in schools they will actually benefit from the money being spent and also will be “more likely to participate in the formal labor market and earn higher incomes.” 

The following article, Girls’ education Gender equality in education benefits every child, is an educational article published by UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund). This organization aids child education and maternal health in developing countries and also invests “in girls’ secondary education”. The Effect of Girls’ Education on Health Outcomes: Fact sheet is a multimedia source published in (Aug 2011) that focuses on gender issues, specifically in girls, inequality, and poverty. They both agree that keeping girls in school can lower early pregnancy (being as they’d be more informed about safe sex) and child marriage rates, as well as increase the chance for young girls to grow up with an independent mindset that can later benefit themselves and their families.  These organizations strive to change the fates of many young girls worldwide, and all the resources and opportunities they provide have already begun to accomplish this. All of these academic journals, websites, and news articles have thus far supported my claim, stating that the lack of education can affect women in the long run as well as why and how women are prevented from going to school in some parts of the world. The first two articles, “In India, poverty, and lack of education are associated with men’s physical and sexual abuse of their wives” by Gerstein. L  and  “In India, poverty and lack of education are associated with men’s physical and sexual abuse of their wives” by Sundari Anitha are both academic articles, they stress how a lot of women are controlled sexually, and financially exploited while also stating how this can affect their education as well. “Girls’ education Gender equality in education benefits every child” published by Unicef. speaks about gender equality and how investing in girls’ education can transform the world. “Girls’ Education” published by The World Bank an organization that strives to achieve gender equality, has already made a difference today, and  “Girls’ education: facts and how to help” by Jasmine Owen, is an article that raises awareness to the lack of girl’s education and lists facts and some ways the situation can be helped. Lastly, some newspapers and statical sites  “Education for girls all over the world is the civil rights struggle of our time” by Gordon Brown speaks about some of the brave young women who are fighting for themselves and others to go to school.  “No education for girls” published by Dawn news, is a newspaper article that talks about girls’ education in Afghanistan and how they are currently still being affected by the Taliban which is an  Islamic fundamentalist group that returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. and  “The Effect of Girls’ Education on Health Outcomes: Fact Sheet” by PRB talks about how education or lack thereof, can have effects on the health outcomes of girls. All of these sources have allowed me to better understand and research this topic because although they all tie back to the same topic all of these articles had new information for me to analyze and explore.