Literacy is a vital component of empowerment

Literacy benefits individuals, families, communities and nations with literacy skills fundamental to personal empowerment—especially for women.

Malala Yousafzai shook the world. On 9 October 2012, Malala was shot by a Taliban gunman in an assassination attempt in retaliation for her activism—she was exercising her right to go to school. The attempt on her life sparked the international denunciation of the Taliban by governments, human rights organisations and feminist groups; 50 leading Muslim clerics in Pakistan issued a fatwa against those who tried to kill her. Malala survived and became one of the loudest voices calling for the right to education: ‘invest in books, not bullets.’

We tend to take education for granted in the 21st century. This is why Malala grabbed our attention: her desire for an education was enough to warrant her death.

Worldwide, there are 473 million women who can’t read. They are disadvantaged economically and socially with limited access to education, jobs and healthcare—while their literate counterparts are more likely to send their children to school, have better maternal health, make better healthcare decisions for their children, and economically improve their communities. More than any other factor, a mother’s literacy is the greatest influence on her child’s future academic success.

While illiteracy refers to the inability to read, low literacy skills are just as much a threat to a woman’s independence and safety. For example, literacy and numeracy are necessary for financial literacy, without which a woman cannot achieve financial independence. Although global data shows more and more children are going to school, it fails to assess how many are finishing their education. Domestic responsibilities, along with new roles as wives and mothers, see girls leaving school with the bare basics of literacy. Yes, this improves literacy rates around the world, but it compounds the problem of illiteracy among women falling through the gaps. Marriage almost always results in the end of a girl’s schooling; with children, they lack the time and freedom to attend classes regularly, impacting the quality of their education. In many cases, the simple need to be contributing to the family’s income sees girls pulled out of school. Improving women’s education requires far more than sitting them down in a classroom; social change is imperative.

By sending a girl to school, the right to education is perpetuated; she is far more likely to ensure her children also receive an education. It is her continued education that must now be prioritised, improving her social, economic and political integration, and contributing to her individual empowerment. Equal opportunities in education and the acquisition of the necessary basic skills to live a comfortable life guarantees stability and prosperity.

‘If we educate a boy, we educate one person. If we educate a girl, we educate a family—and a whole nation.’

Yet illiteracy is not exclusive to developing nations. National and international surveys show there are considerable numbers of illiterate adults in developed countries—75 million people in Europe do not have the basic skills they need to survive independently in today’s modern world. Levels of illiteracy vary according to sex, age, socio-economic background, residential areas, migratory status and ethnicity—and these levels are persistent. The discrepancy between the perceived literacy rates of almost 100 percent and the existing illiterate population stems from the taboo status of illiteracy in developed countries, where compulsory basic education has been a reality for decades. Here, it is shameful and stigmatising to be illiterate—people affected rarely show or discuss their illiteracy. How then, can the issue be identified and a solution sought?

Migratory status in Europe is also a key player in the lower levels of literacy seen here. Access to education is rarely a concern in assessments of the damage inflicted by conflict—attention focuses on access to food and healthcare rather than the hidden and lasting legacies of the violence. Conflict and war continue to destroy school infrastructure and the ambitions of whole generations of children. 50 percent of the children denied an education live in conflict-stricken areas, with girls the worst affected; that’s 11 million girls. In refugee camps, schooling also takes a backseat and children can spend years without any education at all. The majority of refugees flee to neighbouring developing countries, whose education systems are already weak and lack the capacity to support new populations. With humanitarian crises escalating around the world, generations of children are at risk of a lifetime of disadvantage.

Everyone has the right to education and literacy is implicit in this right. This is universally acknowledged. It is also universally acknowledged that literacy benefits individuals, families, communities and nations with literacy skills fundamental to personal empowerment—especially for women.

Promote the right to literacy and help women around the world reach their full, limitless potential by supporting organisations reaching at-risk populations including the International Literacy Association, ProLiteracy, Save the Children and the World Literacy Foundation. ■