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6 - Educational Access for Women and Girls As a Social Justice Issue

Ghana As a Case Study

from Part II - International Social Justice Issues That Have an Impact on Children and Young People

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2020

Caroline S. Clauss-Ehlers
Affiliation:
Rutgers University, New Jersey
Aradhana Bela Sood
Affiliation:
Virginia Commonwealth University
Mark D. Weist
Affiliation:
University of South Carolina
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Summary

Recent studies show that many women around the globe remain far outside the circle of equality, particularly when it comes to access to education. Educating girls means decreasing their exclusion from the labor market and inviting them into the formal economy, thereby spurring a country’s economic growth. Thus, the importance of educating girls is considered not solely as a gender and human rights issue, but also as a development issue. This chapter focuses on Ghana as a case study in promoting women’s empowerment through educational resources. Examining the colonialist legacies that contribute to persistent gaps between educational access and completion for males and females, it explores sociocultural and school-related barriers, as well as those connected to public perceptions of education for women. In the process, proposals are considered to address these systemic gaps in ways that serve as a model for expanding educational opportunities for girls and young women around the world.

Type
Chapter
Information
Social Justice for Children and Young People
International Perspectives
, pp. 91 - 105
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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