Issue in Focus
Education is a human right. It has the power to save and improve the lives of women and girls, which leads to healthier families and stronger communities.
According to UNICEF, receiving an education makes girls less likely to marry young and more likely to lead healthy, productive lives. Educated girls earn higher incomes, participate in decisions that affect them, and build better futures for themselves and their families.
- Around the world, 122 million girls are out of school, including 34 million of primary school age, and 87 million of secondary school age.
- 66% of countries have achieved gender parity in primary education, 45% of countries have achieved gender parity in lower secondary education and 25% in upper secondary education.
- While Gender parity in student enrollment rates may be improving, the completion rates for girls are lower in lower-income countries.
- Of the world’s 750 million illiterate adults, two-thirds of them are women.
- Gender-equitable education systems can contribute to reductions in school-related gender-based violence and harmful practices, including child marriage and female genital mutilation.
- An educated female population increases a country’s productivity and fuels economic growth. Some countries lose more than US$1 billion a year by failing to educate girls to the same level as boys. Universal secondary education, especially in poor countries, has a multiplier effect that builds both wealth and health, but only three in four girls complete their secondary education.
Zonta in Action
Investing in the education of women and girls yields high returns, such as breaking cycles of poverty, fostering economic growth and empowering women both in the home and workplace.
Zonta has a dedicated history of supporting women in education: We have provided more than US$16 million to thousands of women around the world through the Amelia Earhart Fellowship, Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarship, Women in STEM Scholarship and the Young Women in Public Affairs Award.
Please visit our Education Programs page to read more about the awards we are offering today, and about the recipients who have received these awards in the past.
In addition to its education programs, Zonta continually chooses international service projects that include the education of women and girls as key strategies.
- For example, as part of its activities, the Ending Child Marriage project improves education access and supports interventions that encourage girls to enroll in school, strengthens education systems and supports interventions that keep girls in school and provides out-of-school girls with alternative learning opportunities.
Zonta International supports the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which include ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. Education is essential to a prosperous life, and we are proud of our continued efforts to fight for gender equity in education.
