Girls and women worldwide are exposed to more vulnerabilities than their male counterparts. Therefore it is important to educate women on the gender-based struggles they may potentially encounter.

According to UNICEF, in 2020 there were 12 million girls married under the age of 18 each year, with a total of 650 million girls and women alive today married as children. The COVID-19 pandemic puts vulnerable girls and women at an increased risk of child marriage as the pandemic results in shuttered schools and rising poverty. UNICEF estimates that an additional 10 million girls are at risk of child marriages. In 2018, the percentage of female trafficking victims was 49% for women and 19% for girls. These numbers will only increase if we do not equip young girls with the correct knowledge.

Education is correlated to wages and women that are less educated typically earn less than educated women and less educated men. By providing accessible education USIDHR helps to secure economic opportunities for women. According to OCED, the gender employment gap among men and women with low educational attainment stands at 19.5 percentage points. Wile the gap among highly-educated men and women is 8.5 percentage point. Increased educational attainment accounts for about 50% of gender-inclusive economic growth in OECD countries for the past 50 years. Educational attainment is critical to women and girl’s social protections, sustainable development, and overall wellbeing. 

Providing young women with such knowledge aims to ensure they are able to recognize threats of gender-based violence and give them the skills to intervene correctly. In many communities worldwide, violence against women and girls is deeply ingrained in certain cultural practices. As a result, we must arm young girls with the correct tools to overcome the vulnerabilities they may face.