“Girls – together we can achieve anything”
“Educating Girls is key to tackling global poverty” a Guardian headline from last week’s issue. Frankly, yes, educating girls will eventually empower them. It could possibly be the road to a better life, full of their own skills and choices. And it may even change the world. So far, so theory.
There are more than enough campaigns and a lot of media coverage for better girl’s education. But I haven’t come across too much publicity for educating the world about girls. Even if we have well-trained young ladies from Alaska to Zanzibar chasing after their dreams, there are still way too many people who will hold them back simply because they are girls. And it’s not a matter of gender. My own female professor, who had four wonderful female junior scientists employed at her chair, once told me she preferred to work with male colleagues, simply because they were more capable in certain situations. What she probably was thinking was they don’t get pregnant or have their period or fuss over a heartbreak. This woman held on to the stereotype that she herself had long overcome. And with great skills in her field, if I may say so.
We need the world to know how brilliant, resilient, capable, fierce, unafraid, willing and ready the girls of this world are. Teach the CEOs that we can be mothers and love our work. Show the fathers and brothers that we live up to our dreams. Let the elders know that we have a prominent place in our societies. Tell the doctors that these bodies are our bodies, and we make the choices. Educate the world who we are and what we want. Speak up on any day, in any place. Make every day Girl’s Day, make it your Girl’s Day, and that of your sister, cousin, friend. We are legion. And we can achieve what we want, by educating ourselves and those around us.
-Kristina Kraemer
Junior Editor
Girl News International