Gender Equality in Asian Education: Breaking Barriers for Young Women
By: Daniel Song
Throughout much of history, women have not been provided equal educational opportunities as men, but that is changing | @jcomp on FreePik
In the present day, gender equality has become a popular topic among many Asian countries involved with education. Ancient days in Asian cultures suggest that women’s education is insignificant due to the popular virtues such as filial piety which reduces the role of a woman as one of being confined to the household and serving as both a wife and mother. Recently however, there has been a rise of feminists who stand against these conservative views. But while significant progress has been made for the rights of women, there are still challenges that are faced by women who live in many Asian countries. While there has been much progress towards gender equality in Asian countries, there still remain many hindrances which prevent the full participation of young women in education.
Progress in Education So Far
Several Asian countries have made a growing effort toward improving educational access for women. Countries like Japan, South Korea, and Singapore all have high school enrollment rates for both boys and girls which acts as an equality shown to calm or reduce the gender gaps. Additionally, in countries such as India and Bangladesh, government programs such as “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao” act to increase the female rates and reduce the dropouts among girls which highly focuses on education.
Barriers to Gender Equality
Despite the many influential and positive balance of gender equality in some rural areas with low-income communities, many women still face the difficulties. In countries such as Nepal and Pakistan, many girls are still facing obstacles such as extreme poverty, early marriage, and the societal pressure of prioritizing becoming a satisfactory wife over education. The barriers that some low-income countries possess can lead to lower rates of education for girls which inevitably hinders their potential.
Empowering Young Women Through Education
There has been a rising awareness of the lack of women in education, especially in fields such as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Education in topics in STEM influences Women’s club programs to encourage girls that have potential to, without worrying, pursue their careers despite the male-dominated field. Even in Northern Valley Old Tappan School in Old Tappan NJ, there has been a Women in STEM club which has been recently established by a group of highschoolers who were looking to address this issue. The efforts created by young female students to help other young female students are vital in breaking down gender stereotypes and also giving women more chances to display their skills and find uses for said skills in future career opportunities.
Conclusion
While many Asian countries are working towards filling in the gender equality gaps such as education and economic barriers, some young women still face limitations in search of such opportunities. However, by continuing to invest in programs promoting women’s education, being supportive towards girls’ education programs, and helping to change shift cultural views, we will begin to see an impact and an increase the rates of women’s education and hopefully one day reaching true gender equality in education in Asian countries.
References
UNESCO - Gender and Education in Asia. UNESCO. Gender and Education in Asia, https://www.unesco.org/en/education. Accessed 1 10 2024.
UNICEF. "Gender Equality in Primary and Secondary Education." UNICEF South Asia, 2024, www.unicef.org/rosa/what-we-do/education/gender-equality-primary-and-secondary-education. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
Makhijani, Neha. "Beti Bachao Beti Padhao: Is Media Advocacy Overshadowing Real Progress?" The Probe, 12 Dec. 2022, www.theprobe.in/columns/beti-bachao-beti-padhao-is-media-advocacy-overshadowing-real-progress/. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
