The principle of feminism states that a woman should be equal to a man. And while the marches of the recent months have proven an increasing global support for feminism, reaching as far as Antarctica, it appears that sub-Saharan Africa has not yet caught up with the movement. Millions of girls in the developing region are out of school today (Kuwonu). Due to monthly menstrual cycles and a lack of access to menstrual products, many sub-Saharan African girls are forced to drop out of school to adequately address the situation at hand (Lusk-Stover). Additionally, the region’s girls are attending school at significantly lower rates than their male counterparts, creating a disparity between the genders (Montoya). It is safe to say that gender equality has still not been achieved in sub-Saharan Africa (Jowett).
As a result of seemingly “inconvenient” periods, girls are missing school regularly for extended periods of time and often end up dropping out. A United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural, and Organization study conducted in 2016 found that about one in ten girls in sub-Saharan Africa misses school for about one week a month due to their menstrual cycles (“Reducing”). Without affordable access to sanitary pads due to a lack of support from their government, girls across the region are forced to stay home and drip-dry for the duration of their cycles, normally ranging from three to seven days per month (Lusk-Stover). The menstrual cycle does not retreat until a woman’s late fifties usually, and so this regular and lengthy break from school ends up setting these girls behind in education, leading many to drop out (Lusk-Stover). The United Nations found in 2015 that 56% of all out-of-school sub-Saharan African children were girls, translating to about eighteen and a half million girls left uneducated (Kuwonu).
A large disparity, not surprisingly, now exists between girls and boys attending secondary schooling. For every 100 boys enrolled, there are fewer than 90 girls (d’Urso). Not one sub-Saharan African nation of the 46 classified as part of the region has achieved equality in education (d’Urso). But, while boys out of school often turn to the normal path of taking up an average job in their country, girls of their same situation are more likely to end up in child marriages and face high maternal mortality rates in order to support their families in some way (Jowett). Sub-Saharan Africa currently hosts the largest population of children that are out of school, making up more than half the world’s 61.4 million total, UNESCO reports (“Reducing”). While boys are not finding school to be easily accessible in the region, the disparity reinforces the lifestyle of girls in the region who take the absolute backseat, being at the lowest of the low.
As data has proven, girls out of school, especially in areas like sub-Saharan Africa, are subject to not just a loss of potential but also a greater likelihood of domestic abuse, child marriage, HIV contraction, and premature death (Jowett). Investing in education and investing in girls benefits the entire economy of these countries, proving that investing in girls’ education is investing in the future (d’Urso). But, for now, girls in sub-Saharan Africa continue to miss out on education due to bloody conception abilities, their only superpower that their male counterparts would doubtfully envy. But while these out-of-school rates skyrocket, so do the numbers of feminists across the world, and they continue to fight for gender equality all over the world, including sub-Saharan Africa.
Works Cited
Lusk-Stover, Oni. “Globally, Periods Are Causing Girls to Be Absent from School.” Education, 29 July 2016.
Kuwonu, Franck. “Millions of Girls Remain out of School.” United Nations, Apr. 2015.
D'Urso, Joseph. “Sub-Saharan Africa Rates Poorly in Equal Education for Boys and Girls: U.N.” Reuters, 11 Oct. 2015.
Jowett, Alice. “It’s Time to Make Education Work for Every Girl.” One, 8 Mar. 2017.
Montoya, Silvia. “Missing from School: The Education Challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa.” Data
for Sustainable Development, UIS Data Blog, 4 May 2017.
“Reducing Global Poverty through Universal Primary and Secondary Education.” UNESCO
Institute for Statistics, Policy Paper 32 / Fact Sheet 44, June 2017.
Great article! Here, we don't really think about how important they are because we have such easy access to them, so I liked how your article brought that to light. Your conclusion was also really good, and it ended on a nice positive note.
ReplyDeleteIs there anything that people outside of Africa can do to help them (other than raise awareness)?
Your article makes some really strong points, and I really enjoyed reading it. My favorite aspect of your article is the graphic, and how well you backed up all of your points with evidence. My main take-away is that the trend of low education rates for girls in sub-Saharan Africa will not change until improvements are made to the country as a whole. What are some current solutions people are working towards to fix this problem?
ReplyDeleteI loved how well you presented the issue in Africa and clearly explained how menstruation is affecting women in Africa. In the US, we're so fortunate to be able to get education, and all these girls in Africa deserve just the same! I also liked your conclusion, it really pulled the article together in a creative way. I wonder if the governments in Africa are doing anything to help the women who are receiving poor education.
ReplyDeleteI thought that you did a great job showing the extent of the problem and the lasting effects it has on women's rights as a whole. My main takeaway is that menstrual cycles can have a drastic impact on a girls life into womanhood. What is standing in the way of fixing this problem?
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