SHE- The Journey Towards Education
-by Hrishita Himalika
‘I have a daughter, could this get any worse?’ ‘My family is ruined! Why did I have a girl?’ – these are the statements we hear from the patriarchal society that we live in. The backwardness of these thoughts that a girl is a burden can’t get any worse.
A girl is the woman of tomorrow. She is the sole bearer of the upcoming generations. She is the one who nurtures herself and others. She is the beauty, the intellect, the body and the soul of every generation. She is also the one who unfortunately has to sacrifice her dream, her identity and her life in general.
In India, a girl child is frequently seen as a liability or a “burden” to be passed on. Given the dominating influence of the patriarchal system, many girls experience gender disparities, gender stereotypes, and inferior treatment when compared to boys.
The girl child frequently ends up on the short end of the stick, regardless of her skill and ambition. Many girls are kept at home and not sent to school out of fear of exploitation and abuse, only to be married off at an early age. Even if the young girl is not married off, she is still denied the same opportunities for quality education, good healthcare, employment, and equal rights as a boy. While some girls can “break free” from the chains and work toward a successful future, the majority accept their ill fate.
She wants to get educated but has to face the obstacles in her path. These are-
•Survival- Despite laws that forbid selective abortion and sex-determining of a foetus, this practice persists in secret. This hurts both the mother’s health and safety as well as the number of girls born. The physical and mental health of a woman suffers when she has multiple pregnancies in the hopes of having a boy because she is held responsible for the baby’s sex.
•Cost- According to the World Bank, the main factor affecting a girl’s ability to access education is poverty. Even in places where parents are not required to pay school fees, it can be challenging to keep up with the price of uniforms, textbooks, and transportation. Families are more likely to send boys than girls to school if they cannot afford the tuition.
•Child marriages- Though it happens everywhere in the world, it occurs disproportionately in developing nations. For a variety of reasons, parents permit their daughters to marry children. Some parents feel they are shielding their kids from the stigma or harm that comes with dating someone who is not their spouse, but child brides who don’t receive an education are also more likely to experience early pregnancies, malnutrition, domestic abuse, and pregnancy complications. Child marriage eases the financial burden on struggling families, but it makes it more difficult for girls to become financially independent without education.
•Menstruation- Girls feel too ashamed to fully participate in society as a result of the cultural stigma attached to menstruation, which is stigmatized throughout the world. Some girls end up skipping class because they are unable to afford sanitary products or because they lack access to clean water and sanitation facilities, which would enable them to stay healthy and avoid diseases.
•Household chores- Girls who are forced into domestic work develop low self-esteem and a lack of enthusiasm for education. Girls typically shoulder adult responsibilities like caring for sick parents or watching over younger siblings. Girls around the world work 40% longer hours than boys doing unpaid tasks like cooking, cleaning, and gathering firewood.
•Gender-based violence- Gender-based violence can manifest itself in a variety of ways, such as bullying, harassment, and physical and/or sexual assault. Girls who have experienced rape, coercion, discrimination, and other forms of abuse are less likely to enrol in school, perform as well in class, and have higher absenteeism and dropout rates.
With all such challenges, a girl lives in the trauma of never getting out of the cocoon which society has built for her. She dreads moving out of this cycle because of such impositions.
Some people have acknowledged the fact that a girl needs to get educated. But for those who still hold a stereotypical mindset, they need to reform it.
Many people in our nation are unaware of the positive changes that female education can make in people’s lives. People from all socioeconomic backgrounds believing that funding a girl’s education is a waste of money is a sad state of affairs. Even more depressing is the fact that they would rather justify spending on their daughter’s dowry or wedding expenses than on her education. Early education can play a significant role in guiding society toward advancement. A girl feels empowered when she is educated. She has the power to make her own decisions, improve the standard of living for her family and kids, create more job opportunities, and change society as a whole.
Many organizations are working on imparting education to girls. One such organization is Pehchaan The Street School. This organization believes in girl education and that is the basis for a productive future for our economy and country. It provides education not only to girls but also to every child for their upliftment and growth. It contributes to every possible way of shaping the children’s future, especially the girls.
It is time to change such archaic mindsets of people and make them aware that if a girl gets an education, then the whole family gets educated. She has the potential to fly but she needs the wings and that is education. Once she is educated, she can excel in any field she goes to. People should understand that she is not a liability, but rather an asset everyone needs.
There is no greater pillar of stability than a strong, free, and educated woman. With this view, let’s work on empowering women and join hands with NGOs like Pehchaan The Street School in shaping their lives.
