"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world"
Nelson Mandela
A week and a half ago (I hadn’t
realised how long I had left publishing this post!) Malala Yousafzai took a
signed petition to the UN hoping to ensure every child has an education. The
simplicity and enormity of this act should not be underestimated. Its
repercussions will be felt by the individual, the family, the community, the
state and the international system as a whole.
The right to education provides
the individual with the potential to achieve great things. Education is a right
for BOTH genders. However, the
belief in many societies that females should not be educated presents a worrying
cycle of oppression.
The fear often lies with a female
having opinions of her own. The idea that she will be able to make decisions
and take action that the husband / father / brother does not agree with, or
that will undermine his own position lies central to this fear. Pegged as the crux
of a family unit, the role of the female is central to the peace and unity of a
home. Her lack of education or her inability to work is often seen as ways to cement
her position within the household and maintain control.
“When you know
better, you do better”
Maya Angelou
Unfortunately, I have seen this
sentiment prominently within the Asian community. Numerous highly educated
women have heard murmurs from some male members of the community who questioned
the wisdom of allowing them to pursue their education to such a high standard.
Not only because they believed they would “get ideas of their own”, but also
because they would have trouble finding a husband. I deeply abhor these kinds
of responses – why do women not have the right to have their own opinions and
ideas? Why is a woman’s worth and purpose linked to her ability to find a
spouse?
Evolution of thought is key to
our growth as individuals and as a society. Conservatism ensures against social
and economic mobility. On the larger scale, and excuse the grandiose of what
about to say: it hinders the evolution
of humanity. Grandiose aside, the fact remains that without an educated
populace we will not have the ideas that will spur on the evolution technology
and of ideas that govern society such as economic systems or forms of
governance. Education is paramount.
"You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation."
Bringham Young
Although there are genuine
sentiments that the family benefits from a solid female figure within the home,
her oppression as a means to keep her in the home is abhorrent. The quote above
is an interesting one, as it places the woman at the centre of imparting knowledge
to the next generation. I have to say that I don’t agree on the gender
specificity of this quote as it undermines the role many males play in the
formative years of children. However, as generalisation, women do tend to be
the carers of the youth. It is in their hands that they are shaped and so I can
see the message Young is trying to portray. It also forms the basis of
empowerment for women where they are the primary carers of the future
generation. It is vital to educate these women and overcome the strictures that
bind them to second-class status.
This is not to undermine or
devalue any woman or man staying at home to run the household and look after the
children. The stay-at-home parent (both male and female) is a role that is
neither superior nor inferior to the parent who goes to work and takes care of the home and family. The
key is choice. Every individual must have an equal opportunity to be
educated, to work, and to choose to either stay at home or go to work.
(I understand that there is a separate
argument to be made on the ability of individuals to stay at home due to
economic circumstance – however, I am focussing upon the right to education,
the right to choice and a right to opinion.)
Yet, education is not the only
aspect of this argument: the other is empowerment. The tenacity of woman bent
on ensuring her child has an education when she has had none herself emphasises
the influence of the individual character over her own educational status. What
is driving forward change is not education itself but the belief and attitude
of the individual. The spirit of the individual is something that must be
cherished as it is the root and the drive of change and betterment. It is
something that must be encouraged.
I truly believe that from
empowerment all else will follow; none more paramount than true equality. It
will be an equality that transcends equal opportunities. It will ensure that
every woman is not prejudged or hindered by the standards of men. For even
though I have been given every opportunity my male counterparts have, there is
still the preconception that as a woman I must be or act or do certain things.
Empowerment and education is key
to true equality and I look forward to the day that things aren’t different just
because I’m a woman.
"I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will."
Charlotte Bronte - Jane Eyre
