A patriarchy fears an educated woman
(SPEAK: Piece 1)
More than 120 million girls are denied an education—not because they lack intelligence, ambition, or perseverance, but because the world has decided their futures do not matter. They are forced into marriage as children, banned from schools, and silenced for daring to seek knowledge. Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head simply for saying that girls should be allowed an education. Aziza Rahimzada, an Afghan activist, risked her life to fight for education despite threats from extremists who believe girls belong at home, not in school. These are not isolated tragedies; they are symptoms of a global system that still refuses to recognize women as equals.
The more I engaged with these issues the clearer it became that the greatest barrier to women’s education is the deeply rooted belief that women are simply not worthy. Not worthy of education, not worthy of their dreams, and not worthy of having their voices heard. But why are societies preffering to deprive themselves, as a whole, of valuable members in the workforce? Women’s lack of education weakens a society in terms of economic growth and inclusive governance. Investing in girls’ secondary education can result in even healthier families with statistics showcasing increases in National growth rates and significantly lower child marriage and mortality rates. So, the answer to the question simply has its basis to the control derived from a patriarchal society. Defining patriarchy, renowned American sociologist Allan Johnson wrote: "Patriarchy does not refer to any man or collection of men, but to a kind of society in which men and women participate ... A society is patriarchal to the degree that it promotes male privilege by being male-dominated, male-identified, and male-centered. It is also organized around an obsession with control and involves as one of its key aspects the oppression of women." Hence, enforcing women to a secondary role as homemakers and caregivers showcases the continuous efforts to maintain a patriarchal society in a time when women are beginning to understand their worth, trying to oppose the forces that want to subdue them.
In some Western countries, the efforts towards equality have positive results with statistics showcasing that women have even surpassed men at certain levels of education. For instance, in the United States during 2020–2021, women obtained 63% of associate degrees, 58% of bachelor's degrees, 62% of master's degrees, and 56% of doctoral degrees.However, challenges persist with women remaining underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields but also in leadership roles. In addition, despite their educational achievements women still face the “gender pay gap” where working women in the EU earn on average 88% of what a man earns (specifically in Greece women earn the 86.4%). Notwithstanding, it is certain that we have far more opportunities compared to the girls in Afghanistan who were banned from school or the girls in Bangladesh who are kept for household activities with dropout rates at nearly 42%. But even if not on a personal level and through stories of other women, there is no doubt that there have been moments where we have felt the sting of discrimination. Yet, many remain complacent because they haven’t shifted yet their point of view from their small, protected communities wanting to believe that all these issues are settled. By putting labels, such as developing countries, least developed countries, emerging markets, we forget that we are all humans, sharing the same planet and having the same rights.
But other than the control and the deep-rooted beliefs imposed upon women considering educational values and disparities in classroom policies; what other factors are keeping nearly 120 million girls out of school? Early marriages still play an active role in many communities -particularly in Sub-Sahar Africa, Middle East & North Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia- with 12 million girls every year marrying before they turn 18, who typically stop going to school. Also, approximately 60 million girls annually are sexually assaulted on their way to school, significantly impacting their desire to attend due to the fear and trauma encircling them. Over and above that, poverty does not only affect girls’ education, but it also determines it. Girls who are born in remote or underserved locations or who have a disability or belong to a minority ethno-linguistic group combined with low family income have the lowest levels of access to and completion of education.
As stated previously, educating girls has immense benefits. UNESCO estimated that the loss in human capital due to gender inequalities is around US$160 trillion, which is about twice the value of global GDP. Other than strengthening the economy, investing in girls’ education promotes resilient, stable and fully functional societies where everyone has substantial opportunities to fulfil their potential. But the most important reason in educating women is that it is their right.
Circling back to a society organized as a patriarchy, growthand progress are not the main goals, it is all about control and power holding us back from evolving and leaving in the past ingrained gender biases. Patriarchal societies, therefore, rely on the comfort provided by women. Educated women think critically, question the system and communities they live in, find answers to problems. A job outside the home means less time spent taking care of the family. In simple terms: educated women are harder to be manipulated in a society dependent on the sexual and reproductive exploitation of women. To take apart a patriarchy we must confront and dismantle deeply rooted biases against women. Any system built by people can also be transformed by people.
By Aliki Taka, 17 years old