Spotlight: Gender and Literacy

Yesterday, we celebrated the International Women's Day (March 8). International Women's Day 2017 bears the theme #BeBoldForChange – "Call on the masses or call on yourself to help forge a better working world - a more inclusive, gender equal world." Why change? Because our world has a long way to go before we achieve equality. "International Women's Day... is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity." [1]

Did You Know: that Omega Eta Epsilon was founded by women, and that six of our nine current officer seats are held by women?

Omega Eta Epsilon prides itself on gender inclusivity and social awareness, including honoring the contribution of diverse women throughout history and acknowledging and respecting all genders and sexes, regardless of legal recognition. In solidarity with the efforts to realize gender equality, today we are writing about the impact of gender on literacy worldwide.*

What is the gender gap in worldwide literacy rates?

There are many definitions of literacy and illiteracy used by various organizations today. The UNESCO Institute for Statistics defines the threshold between literate and illiterate populations as adults (in this case anyone over 15 years of age) who are reported as unable to read and write. Under this qualification, did you know that:[2][3]

• two thirds of the illiterate population consists of women?
• the total female literacy rate (79%) is 9 percentage points lower than the male literacy rate (88%)? 
• the gender disparity in recorded literacy is highest in Southern Asia, where "only 51% of women [have] the ability to read and write"? 

According to UNICEF, the gap between genders is also present in youth populations. Young women make up 59% of the total population of illiterate youth, even while youth literacy overall increases. Indeed, in about a third of countries surveyed, "illiterate women far outnumber their male counterparts."[4]

For a visualization, check out this map from Geographies of the World's Knowledge (click to enlarge).[5]

Not only does this spotlight a gender disparity, but it also foreshadows other social issues which can be heightened as a result of illiteracy in women. For instance, SIL writes that the two indicators of longevity in a female population are access to clean water, and literacy. Educated women are more likely to use health clinics, have fewer and healthier children, and have families with better housing, clothing, income, water, and sanitation.[6]

What does this mean for the cause of increasing literacy?

A couple things. Firstly, it means that we must all be aware of the intersectional issues, including gender, race, socioeconomic status, and nationality, which impact a person's access to knowledge and education.

Secondly, it may mean that the pursuit of literacy might be served best not just by an overall effort to increase access and education, but also by supporting specific, driven campaigns targeting the most needy populations. For Omega Eta Epsilon, we have historically committed to the cause of increasing children's literacy, whereas other organizations focus on broadening the access of women worldwide to education.

Remember to acknowledge both the successes and struggles of women worldwide as you celebrate International Women's Day!

*It will be noted that, broadly, most studies conducted on major issues neglect to accommodate for transgender and intersex populations. Thus our overview of the information currently published and available should be read as reflective of the studies which exist thus far, and not as a representation of an exclusion of intersex, transgender, or nonbinary individuals in our personal consideration.