Gender Issues; Involving Women in Development

There is little denying the fact that investing in human capital is one of the most effective means of reducing poverty and encouraging sustainable development. Yet, women in developing countries usually receive less education than men. More so, women in general enjoy far less employment opportunities than men the world over. This essay focuses on There is little denying the fact that investing in human capital is one of the most effective means of reducing poverty and encouraging sustainable development. Yet, women in developing countries usually receive less education than men. More so, women in general enjoy far less employment opportunities than men the world over. This essay focuses on the advantages of educating girls and women. It also points out some factors that have lead to girls and women generally lag behind in educational attainment especially in Zambia.

Educating girls and women is one of the best investments a society can make. This is because an educated woman acquires the skills, the self-confidence and the information she needs to become a better parent, worker and citizen. Specifically, female education has powerful effects on the total fertility rate (and hence on population growth), the infant mortality rate, the female disadvantage in child survival, and on child health and nutrition. By contrast, statistical analysis shows that male schooling has relatively much smaller effects on these important social outcomes.

In becoming a better parent, women improved their maternal health (a concept that encompasses preconception, prenatal, and postnatal care). The goals of preconception care can include providing health promotion, screening and intervention for women of reproductive age to reduce risk factors that might affect future pregnancies and lower incidences of HIV/AIDS are but some of the positive outcomes when a girl is educated.

Indeed education of women improves child health because of educated mothers' greater knowledge of the