Education

Girl Rising’s school-wide screening emphasized the impact of education on a girl’s life, especially for those in developing countries. The documentary raised a pressing question to the student body—how much can education for women be taken for granted?

The answer is evident in the statistics: according to Education First, an initiative of the United Nations Secretary-General, 32 million fewer girls than boys attend primary school globally. In total, an estimated 65 million girls are out of school.

Eugene Gil (11) felt that this discrepancy may be a result of society’s perception of men and women.

“It feels like there are more guys as breadwinners in society,” she said.

The U.S. fares better by the numbers. In 2010, the Department of Commerce determined that 35.7 percent of women aged 25 or older had completed four or more years of college, as compared to 27.8  percent of men. Women nevertheless are making strides in higher education.

While through the early 1900s, women generally favored teaching and nursing, women now are spreading across other fields but are still underrepresented in math and science.